The Gassing Station

The Bentley Torcal may not be the world’s first luxury EV, but it could open the floodgates for others to follow.You can argue all day about who came up with the first, though it’d be hard to argue against the Rolls-Royce Spectre. The company was once famous for its buttery-smooth V12s now selling battery-powered coupes in droves, so it’s little wonder why Bentley has followed suite. Of course, the Torcal uses the same underpinnings as the Porsche Cayenne and Audi Q6 e-tron, and in S guise can put out up to 888hp and go from 0-62mph in 2.9 seconds. That’s supercar performance from a 2.8 tonne SUV. With the Torcal joining the Spectre in the ultra-plush electric club, it does make you wonder whether luxury buyer interest in highly-intricate combustion engines has all but vanished. Good thing, then, you can still pick up a big luxury barge with a big wafty engine for peanuts these days, with this week’s challenge featuring a V8 BMW 7 Series and a Maserati Quattroporte for well under £10k. 🏎️ Sell your car on PistonHeads auctions: https://www.pistonheads.com/sell/auctionsChapters:0:00 Intro3:51 news roundup8:24 Bentley Torcal32:03 £8k luxury barge challenge48:17 Does the Torcal look like a Jaecoo? TOPICSBentley Torcal: https://www.pistonheads.com/news/ph-britishcars/all-new-bentley-torcal-officially-revealed/51709£8k barges: https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&f=255&t=2149484 CARS:Sam’s Bentley Arnage: https://www.pistonheads.com/buy/listing/20743818 Cam’s Lexus LS460: https://www.pistonheads.com/buy/listing/21000451FOLLOW US: 🗣 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pistonheads 📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pistonheads 🐦 X: https://twitter.com/pistonheads

It’s been many, many decades, but the Jensen Interceptor name is back. Only this time, it’s a humungous, track-only V8 luxury barge. Confused?

You should be, because track-only specials are typically based on light, mid-engined supercars rather than four-door coupes the size of a canal boat. But it ticks a lot of boxes, like a 973hp supercharged V8, Nitron dampers and a wing that put a Pikes Peak car’s to shame. A road-going Interceptor GT (which is actually a four-door) and track-inspired GTR are due to join the range later down the line, which makes Jensen International Automobile’s approach to the Interceptor’s revival quite unusual. One that does, however, make a bit more sense when looking at the big picture…

On top of that, Sam’s been to Germany to drive the new VW ID Polo, there’s a £15k retro car buying challenge to tuck into a forum thread on future cult cars to sift through.

🏎️ Sell your car on PistonHeads auctions: https://www.pistonheads.com/sell/auctions

CHAPTERS:
0:00 Intro
8:11 Jensen Interceptor GTX
32:30 70s and 80s coupe challenge
53:22 Future cult classics

TOPICS:
Jensen Interceptor GTX: https://www.pistonheads.com/news/general-pistonheads/oof-973hp-jensen-interceptor-gtx-revealed/51639 
£15k retro car challenge: https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&f=255&t=2149467
Future cult classics: https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&f=23&t=2149824. 

CARS:
Cam’s Ford Capri: https://www.pistonheads.com/buy/listing/20954774 
Sam’s Rover SD1: https://www.pistonheads.com/buy/listing/17802028 

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We’ve been expecting a V8-engined CLE for some time now, but we weren’t expecting it to look like this. 

Probably because the 646 Spezialanfertigung is the next in Merc’s Mythos ultra-limited range, with production capped at just 30 units. It’s a radical looking thing that looks almost like AMG’s take on the Ford Mustang GTD. Up front is the new and improved M117 Evo V8, now with a flat-plane crank, which puts out a stonking 646hp to the rear wheels. With the four-pot C63 now resigned to the history books, could the 646 signal a return to eight-cylinder C and E-Classes?

On top of that, we’ve got a £30k retirement car buying challenge featuring a stunning Aston Martin DB9 and a Jaguar XKR, and we take a look at all the big engines that join AMG’s V8 in the Euro 7 compliance club.

Chapters:
0:00 Intro
8:27 Mercedes-AMG 646 Spezialanfertigung
29:56 £30k retirement car challenge
52:17 Big engines in the Euro club 7!

TOPICS:
AMG 646: https://www.pistonheads.com/news/ph-germancars/back-with-a-bang-mercedes-amg-cle-gets-new-v8/51660
Retirement car challenge: https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&f=255&t=2149806 

CARS:
Cam’s Aston Martin DB9: https://www.pistonheads.com/buy/listing/19877628
Sam’s Mercedes C63: https://www.pistonheads.com/buy/listing/20858226

New Chinese electric performance cars are coming thick and fast, but they’ve yet register on the enthusiasts radar. Just what do they need to do to win petrolheads over?That’s easier said than done, especially when a) the cars themselves are almost exclusively battery powered and b) the enthusiast market pales in comparison to the sheer volume of buyers in China wanting hi-tech EVs. So we take a closer look at the current crop of fast Chinese EVs, from the Denza Z9 to the Xiaomi SU7 Ultra, and see how they compare to the electric competition. Don’t worry, it’s not all about EVs. We’ve got a £5k buying challenge to sink our teeth into, including a boy racer icon and a few couple of candidates that may just stray into Brave Pill territory. 🏎️ Sell your car on PistonHeads auctions: https://www.pistonheads.com/sell/auctionsChapters:0:00 Intro3:35 What performance cars does China make, anyway?37:13 Weekend toys for £5k53:32 Can Chinese carmakers win over enthusiasts?TOPICS:Denza Z9 Racing reviews: https://www.pistonheads.com/news/ph-driven/2026-denza-z-racing--ph-review/51408Denza Z9 Xtreme spied: https://www.pistonheads.com/news/electric-vehicles/wild-denza-z9-gt-xtreme-emerges-160-/51577SC01: https://www.pistonheads.com/news/electric-vehicles/new-electric-sc01-sports-car-is-inbound/51488 Weekend car challenge: https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&f=255&t=2147364 CARS:Sam's Peugeot 208 GTI: https://www.pistonheads.com/buy/listing/20620000Cam's Mazda RX-8: https://www.pistonheads.com/buy/listing/20746603

Top Gear, Fifth Gear over overall car TV legend Vicki Butler-Henderson takes to the live stage at the 2026 PistonHeads Annual Service.Celebrating 30 years of the Elise, VBH tells us about how she became a motoring journalist, her move to TV and just how game-changing Hethel’s little sports was when it arrived on the scene in 1996. She also talks about her most bizarre moments on TV, the rise of car YouTube channels and the time she went head-to-head with some of the world’s greatest racing drivers.🏎️ Sell your car on PistonHeads auctions: https://www.pistonheads.com/sell/auctionsFOLLOW US: 🗣 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pistonheads 📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pistonheads 🐦 X: https://twitter.com/pistonheads