Summer Car Spotting
Is it that time of year already?
As with last year, I spent a considerable portion of my summer on the Algarve in Portugal this year, and, as with last year, some of the cars that I saw while I was out there were quite incredible (as well as some pretty cool numberplates!) Have a scroll to see what I saw, and let me know what you think of my spots in the comments. All photos were taken on my iPhone 15, some while walking, some from a moving vehicle, hence the dodgy quality in some places. Enjoy!
Porsche 911 Turbo S
There are a lot of Porsche 911s in Portugal, and a considerable number of them (this one included) are British. This one stood out to me, because, colour-wise, it’s how I’d spec my 911 – Shark Blue exterior, beige leather interior. Both the Turbo and Turbo S come with a 3.7L twin-turbocharged flat-six engine, and the Turbo S puts out 641bhp. Sadly, if you go for the Turbo S, you don’t get the 7-speed manual, as that’s only available to S and GTS models. Still, I wouldn’t say ‘no’ to one!
BMW i8 Roadster
The BMW i8 Roadster was the soft-top version of BMW’s plug-in hybrid sports car, and was premiered in late 2017. The combined power-output from 1.5 I3 turbo and the hybrid motor was 369bhp after 2018. It took 0.2secs longer to reach 100km/h than the coupé, but both cars had a top speed of 250km/h. The Roadster loses the back seats to make space for the folded-up roof, and more than 20,000 units of the roadster and coupé models combined were sold. If I had one it’d have to be white, but I just cannot work out whether this car is really beautiful, or hideously ugly.
BMW XM
Another BMW, except I’m certain on whether or not this one is beautiful. The XM is the second-ever car to have been solely manufactured by BMW’s M division, after the 1978 M1. It’s an AWD PHEV, and, for some reason, has no BMW badge on the back. All specs are petrol-powered, and the entry-level 50e has a 3.0 twin-turbo I6 while the XM and Label Red Edition models have a 4.4L twin-turbo V8. Power-outputs range from 469bhp to 738bhp, depending on which spec you choose. Around 30miles is estimated to be all the electric driving you can get from the hybrid powertrain, compared to the 53miles on a Range Rover PHEV. Perhaps the biggest benefit to the XM is that it can tow almost 3 tonnes (if your trailer is braked).Â
Brabus GLE Coupe
I didn’t actually notice this was a Brabus until I looked closely at the photo. I can’t spew any specific facts or stats about this car, because I don’t know what kind of Brabus it is. If anyone wants to comment and let me know, go ahead.Â
Land Rover Range Rover Evoque
Although perhaps not the most extraordinary car on the Algarve, I particularly liked the spec of this Range Rover Evoque: black on black on black on more black. It’s the second generation, sharing its platform with the facelifted Land Rover Discovery Sport and the Jaguar E-Pace, and is the cheapest new Land Rover on the market, with brand-new models being available from under £40,000, which, for a JLR product, is very good. It’s available as a petrol, diesel, or PHEV, and a 6-speed manual or 8/9-speed automatic gearbox. It’s a popular car; almost 900,000 models were sold between 2011-2019. Despite being cheaper than other Land Rover vehicles, the Evoque remains luxury, featuring full-leather interior and an 11.4inch curved infotainment screen. If I were buying a Land Rover (and money were no object), the Evoque most likely would not be my first choice, but it’s certainly a solid, good-looking car.Â
Rolls-Royce Dawn, Lamborghini Huracán and Porsche Panamera Sport Turismo 4
A Rolls Royce, Lamborghini and Porsche all parked together is probably more like what you were expecting from my summer spots. The accumulated value of the three cars is well over £600,000, and the private plates on the Lamborghini Rolls would be £45-60k and £10-100k respectively (that last one is not very specific, I know). All fantastic cars, all in different, beautiful shades of blue (my personal favourite is the Blu Glauco on the Lamborghini). Also interesting to note that, of the three cars, the Rolls is the slowest, producing just 563bhp, compared to the 631bhp of the Huracán, and the 650+bhp of the Panamera. Also worth noting is that all three of these cars are British. I don’t know whether or not they were together, but a road trip of that length in a car like this would be fantastic. Personally, I’d go with the Panamera to make that journey, because of how much luggage we took!Â
Land Rover Range Rover Sport
It was the Borasco Grey paint job that immediately drew my attention to this car. It’s the third generation of the Range Rover’s smaller sibling, and it’s becoming increasingly popular. Sales of the car started at 33,460 units in 2009, and were up to 81,700 by 2019. It lives up to the name, too – the fastest RR Sport (the SV, with a 4.4L twin-turbo V8) puts out 626bhp, compared to the 550bhp of the fastest Range Rover, the P550e PHEV. The Range Rover Sport starts at £74,105, compared to the £102,320 base price of the full-fat car. It’s luxury, fast, and practical (it can tow between 3-3.5tonnes), but I just cannot work out how I feel about the back-end. The invisible brake lights make it look as though it’s missing something, as well as the lack of rear badge. Otherwise, an excellent machine.
Toyota Land Cruiser (J40)
The Toyota Land Cruiser J40 was produced from 1960 to 1984 (or 2001 in Brazil), and is certainly not something you see every day. It was available with a number of engines, which produced between 80 and 133bhp, with capacities from 3.0L to 4.2L. Once again, it was the magnificent spec of this car that caught my eye; it goes without saying that the original Cadet Blue exterior colour is gorgeous, but it’s the brown leather interior which tops it off for me. A good-condition FJ40 could fetch anywhere from £30-100k nowadays, and many enthusiasts will argue that it’s well worth the price tag.
Land Rover Range Rover Velar
If all the models by Land Rover form a family tree, then I’d say that the Range Rover Velar is the middle child. It’s luxury, but not quite as luxury as the Range Rover, it’s fast, but not as fast as the RR Sport, it’s capable off-road (I can attest to that), but not as capable off-road as the Defender, and it’s one of the cheaper models, but not as cheap as the Evoque. You may think I’m implying that the Velar is mediocre, but that’s where you’re wrong. For as little as £53,755, you get a luxury mid-size SUV that produces up to 542bhp (only on the now-discontinued SVAutobiography Dynamic model, which comes fitted with a 5.0L supercharged petrol V8), although it’s more like 300-400bhp on the current models. Petrols, diesels and PHEVs are all available, it can tow 2.5tonnes, and was the car that debuted Land Rover’s current design style, with it’s flush door handles and smooth angles. On top of that, it was the first of the recent Range Rovers to have the lower driving-position, which prioritises driver comfort and on-road performance. While I wouldn’t personally favour the black-on-black-on-black-on-black-on-yet-more-black spec, I would never say no to any spec of the car that was named the ‘World’s Most Beautiful Car’ in 2018 at the World Car Awards.
Vespa
I’ve never written about two-wheelers before, and, although I plan on owning a motorcycle some day, I know absolutely nothing about them. This is some type of Vespa, it’s old or new, it’s cheap or expensive and it’s fast or slow. Moped enthusiasts, go crazy in the comments.
If you’ve made it this far (and are looking at more than just the pictures), thank you. Hope you’ve enjoyed looking at the cars I spotted on holiday!
What’s your favourite car in this collection?Â
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