The Gassing Station

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

We're still working our way through the many, many announcements from Monterey Car Week. Some were good, some were bad, and handful were downright meh, so we've picked out the cars that caught our for all the right and wrong reasons. 

On top of that, this week's buying challenge comes from a PHer looking to replace their Maserati GranSport with a slightly less temperamental sports car for £60,000.

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

Chapters:
0:00 Intro
8:41 Monterey Car Week highlights!
10:40 Porsche 911 Flachbau RS
15:23 Louis Vuitton Singer 911
18:15 Lamborghini Revuelto Super Veloce
22:24 Koenigsegg CCGT1
29:15 Aston Martin Valen
33:45 £60k sports car challenge
50:37 Land Rover Defender Dakar
54:28 McLaren MCL 6GT
57:01 GMA S1

TOPICS:
Porsche 911 Flachbau RS: https://www.pistonheads.com/news/ph-germancars/porsche-flachbau-rs-resurrects-slantnose-911/51566 
Louis Vuitton Singer 911: https://www.pistonheads.com/news/ph-germancars/new-singer-collab-typifies-art-of-travel/51547 
Lamborghini Revuelto Super Veloce: https://www.pistonheads.com/news/ph-eurocars/1065hp-revuelto-super-veloce-breaks-cover/51563
Koenigsegg CCGT1: https://www.pistonheads.com/news/ph-eurocars/koenigsegg-ccgt1-celebrates-gt1-moonshot/51554 
Aston Martin Valen: https://www.pistonheads.com/news/ph-britishcars/aston-martin-valen-is-provocative-850hp-supercar/51558 
Land Rover Defender Dakar: https://www.pistonheads.com/news/ph-britishcars/road-legal-defender-dakar-is-635hp-pinnacle/51561
McLaren MCL 6GT: https://www.pistonheads.com/news/ph-britishcars/new-mclaren-mcl-6gt-gets-first-manual-since-f1/51556
GMA S1: https://www.pistonheads.com/news/ph-britishcars/gordon-murray-goes-back-to-future-with-new-s1/51555

£60k sports car challenge: https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&f=255&t=2148411 

CARS:
Sam’s Aston Martin V8 Vantage: https://www.pistonheads.com/buy/listing/20782041 
Cam’s Porsche Boxster (987) Spyder: https://www.pistonheads.com/buy/listing/20492537 

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Straight from our live stage at this year’s PistonHeads Annual Service, three-time Formula 1 Grand Prix winner and victor at the 1991 24 Hours of Le Mans, Johnny Herbert, gives us a glimpse in the development of the Lola T70S and what’s in store for the upcoming T70GT road car.

Herbert also talks about this year’s highly controversial Formula 1 regulations, the emergence of Kimi Antonelli, Lewis Hamilton’s resurgence at Ferrari, and what the made the Mazda 787B so challenging to drive at Le Mans.

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

Chapters:
0:00 Intro
0:58 F1 2026 so far
7:04 The rise of Kimi Antonelli
9:54 Lewis Hamilton racing beyond 40
11:16 Lola T70S deep dive
15:31 Difference between the original T70 and new T70S
18:55 T70GT road car
20:22 How has Johnny led development
21:49 Will Johnny return to racing?
22:22 Sustainable fuel
23:37 How it compares to the Mazda 787B
26:19 Formula E in 2027
28:16 Johnny’s best racing cars

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The Maserati GranTurismo has always been a left-field choice. Can the new Trofeo finally take the fight to the Aston Martin Vantage and Mercedes-AMG GT?

A 590hp V6, sharper looks and tweaks to the chassis certainly help, but has Maserati done enough to justify the Trofeo's £151,650 price tag?

Meanwhile, one PHer is looking to sell their Mk3 Ford Focus RS to buy a cheaper, daily performance car for £10,000. And finally, Cam and Sam read through stories of PHers being reacquainted with their old cars.

Chapters:
0:00 Intro
2:33 Maserati GranTurismo Trofeo review
33:48 £10k daily performance car
56:10 Seeing your old cars in the wild

TOPICS:
Maserati GranTurismo Trofeo review: https://www.pistonheads.com/news/ph-driven/2026-maserati-granturismo-trofeo--ph-review/51472 
£10k all-rounder: https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&f=255&t=2146029 
Seeing a car you used to own: https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&f=23&t=2146539 

CARS:
Sam’s Jaguar XF 3.0: https://www.pistonheads.com/buy/listing/20644452 
Cam’s Honda Accord Euro R: https://www.pistonheads.com/buy/listing/20330910

You won’t find many admirers of the four-cylinder Emira. Can Lotus right the wrongs of the AMG-plucked powertrain with the 420 Sport?

Well, we sent Sam Sheehan to the firm’s HQ in Hethel for a spin around its legendary test circuit. Spoiler alert: it’s definitely an improvement over the launch car, but is it enough to make you overlook a used Porsche 718 Cayman GT4, Alpine A110R or even a V6 Emira? 

As ever, there’s a buying challenge to get stuck in to, with one PHer looking for a retirement car (or a small collection) for a £100,000 budget. 

Finally, it’s into the PistonHeads forums for a look through the ‘cars that ended their makers’ thread.

Chapters:
0:00 Intro
5:17 Lotus Emira 420 Sport review
33:41 £100k three-car garage
53:28 Cars that ended their maker

SAM’S CARS:
Bentley Flying Spur: https://www.pistonheads.com/buy/listing/20830469 
Lotus Elise S2 135 Sport Edition: https://www.pistonheads.com/buy/auction/20648926 
Peugeot 205 GTI 1.6: https://www.pistonheads.com/buy/listing/20451290 

CAM’S CARS:
Toyota GR Yaris: https://www.pistonheads.com/buy/auction/20817295 
Alpina D3 S Touring: https://www.pistonheads.com/buy/listing/20672506 
TVR Chimaera: https://www.pistonheads.com/buy/listing/20600685

TOPICS:
Lotus Emira 420 Sport review: https://www.pistonheads.com/news/ph-driven/2026-lotus-emira-420-sport-ph-review/51452
£100k retirement garage: https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&f=255&t=2068070 
Cars that ended their manufacturer: https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&f=23&t=2052313&i=0

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