www.thetopzones.co.uk

Development activity in the South East office market has plummeted by 65% last year, data from Knight Frank showed.

The NHTSA on Monday said that it doesn't plan to follow through with a promise it made seven years ago to make brake override systems mandatory on new cars, a move applauded by automakers that have already installed the feature. The Trump administration's decision to scrap the mandate proposed during Toyota's 2009 fiasco involving floor mats and...

Have it your way: Burger King delivers Whoppers via motorcycle to cars stuck in traffic Burger King is taking food delivery to congested roadways. Illinois electric car owners may face $1,000 annual fee Electric car owners in Illinois may soon face an annual $1,000 registration fee to offset uncollected fuel taxes. Done to death: Here are the cars...

Parliament has expanded permitted development rights (PDR) to include the right to turn shops into offices, the right to turn takeaways into residential units and the right to build upwards

Legal & General has exchanged contracts on two sites in Wandsworth where it plans to deliver its largest build-to-rent (BTR) scheme.

Landsec is offering new office tenants fully fitted out space to help them to move offices more easily and faster.

“Make it more confident and intuitive to drive.” That was the feedback current owners of Ford’s wild-child, track-rat, flat-plane-crank, manual-only Mustang Shelby GT350 offered when the development team went asking. Although buyers of the Shelby GT350R tend to be pretty accomplished shoes, buyers of the “base” GT350 are more likely to drive their cars daily and take them to a track much less frequently. As such, these owners tend to be less practiced and more fearful of wadding up their babies. The team kept this wish in mind as it pushed the current Mustang platform to new levels of performance while developing the forthcoming GT500, and is now rolling out a new GT500 with higher performance limits that are easier to reach. (The GT350R remains unchanged for 2019.)

Assisting with the aforementioned development was veteran race driver Billy Johnson, who’s spent three years working with the team while also racing Ford GTs and prepping the Mustang GT4 race car, which he’s campaigning this year. Billy apparently shares Randy Pobst’s knack for articulating how a car feels and helping direct changes to make it feel better.

Perhaps the lowest-hanging chassis-development fruit is improving tire grip. Tire Rack can help you do that to your car right now, but when you’re the Mustang team you don’t call Tire Rack—you work with Michelin to custom-tailor a tire for your car, and then you re-tune the entire chassis to take full advantage of the newfound grip. Let’s start with the tires.

Upgrading from Michelin Pilot Sports to Pilot Sport Cup 2 tires represents a serious performance and technology leap. The GT350R has used wider-section versions of this tire from the start (305 front/315 rear to the GT350’s 295/305), and the tires look rather similar. Both feature a broad, featureless outer shoulder for lateral bite, three shallow tread channels (the old Pilot Sports had four deeper ones), and large tread blocks. The tread-wear rating is 180, down from 300 for the old Pilot Sports. We’re told the new ones should last 12,000-15,000 miles on the street (track days will shorten their life—a lot,). The tread compound differs from that of the GT350R. To make it more street-friendly in the “shoulder seasons” (this IS a summer tire), its “glass-transition temperature” (when rubber turns from grippy to hockey-puck slippy) is lower—but never drive on them under a frost/freeze warning. The more angular sidewall profile shape and construction contributes to the way the tire performs in lateral maneuvers (and serves to protect the rims from brushes with the curb). The scant shallow treads suggest these tires would be a handful in the rain, but Mustang chief program engineer Carl Widmann swears they meet the same wet-traction standards as the old one. Ford Performance-engineered tires wear an “FP” mark on the sidewalls that buyers need to insist on when replacing their tires. Frequently. (Tire Rack price: $1,822.74 for a set.)

Working up from the tires, the spring rates are stiffened 10 percent in front, where the anti-roll bar remains unchanged. In back the spring rates soften by 6 percent to coordinate with a larger, stiffer, hollow rear bar (now 24mm, up from 22mm). The Magneride shocks are completely retuned to suit these changes and the new tires, and also to take advantage of improvements in the software and algorithms that have simply come with the march of progress.

One more chassis enhancement: The electronic programming of the stout Brembo brake system is totally recalibrated. It can now dynamically alter the proportioning from front to rear and side to side to a greater extent than it used to, which is said to improve the way the car feels when braking into a corner.

The Shelby GT350’s one big non-chassis-related update is to aerodynamics. To help boost the confidence of drivers whose tracks include longer straights and higher-speed bends and sweepers, front and rear aero-mods help to better settle the car at speed. In front, the main upper grille opening is blanked off more. They basically realized the cooling pack didn’t need as much air as it was getting, and the surplus air was just getting trapped under the hood and causing lift. There is still a hint of front-end lift at speed, but less than before. In back there’s a new “s’wing”—a hybrid spoiler/wing that leverages lessons learned on the GT500 program in a rolling ground-plane wind-tunnel in North Carolina. Think of it as a spoiler with two big vents that allow the highest velocity air to slip straight through, reducing drag, while the rest rides the s’wing surface to develop positive down-force.

This basic s’wing helps plant the rear quite nicely, but if you want it planted with deep roots on the fastest tracks you’ll spend another $850 for a handling package. It includes an aggressive Gurney flap that bolts to the stock s’wing via four simple torx-head screws (removing this gas-mileage killer is worth a couple highway mpg on the drive home from the track). Also included are a pair of front strut camber plates that allow for easy swapping between tire-preserving street alignment and a max-cornering negative-camber track setup.

Naturally the cars we were invited to drive on the 1.5-mile Champion Motor Speedway course at suburban-Detroit’s M1 Concourse had all the performance goodies dialed up to max-attack mode. I drew first drive in a white-with-blue-stripes GT350 on a 50-degree morning. Sure enough, until these tires warmed up I experienced entry understeer and/or power oversteer in several of the track’s 11 turns, but after about a lap and a half they warmed up and started biting harder and harder with nary a stomach-knotting squirm or wiggle. This did encourage me to charge deeper into each turn, and even to roll onto the gas more aggressively on the exits.

I’d be lying if I claimed to detect the savvier brake proportioning, but my confidence did indeed build quickly on what is still a fairly unfamiliar new track to me, so perhaps Widmann and team can hoist the “mission accomplished” banner on that customer wish. One thing that happily remains utterly unchanged is the frenetic sound of this uniquely big-lunged flat-plane V-8 in sport-exhaust mode. Without any of the fourth-order “wuffle” that traditional V-8s make, the resulting sound is akin to a pair of Suzuki Hayabusa motors shouting in unison down a sewer pipe. Long may this glorious sound echo down these stainless, sport-tuned sewer pipes.

The GT350 is on sale now starting at $61,435—just $3,295 more than the 2018 model, and according to Tire Rack, $449.28 of that is the tires.

2019 Ford Mustang Shelby GT350 BASE PRICE $61,435 VEHICLE LAYOUT Front-engine, RWD, 2-pass, 2-door coupe ENGINE 5.2L/526-hp/429-lb-ft DOHC 32-valve V-8 TRANSMISSION 6-speed manual CURB WEIGHT 3,750-3,800 lb (mfr) WHEELBASE 107.1 in LENGTH X WIDTH X HEIGHT 188.9 x 75.9 x 54.2 in 0-60 MPH 4.1 sec (MT est) EPA CITY/HWY/COMB FUEL ECON 14/21/16 mpg ENERGY CONSUMPTION, CITY/HWY 241/160 kW-hrs/100 miles CO2 EMISSIONS, COMB 1.18 lb/mile ON SALE IN U.S. Currently

The post 2019 Ford Mustang Shelby GT350 First Drive: More Accessible Performance appeared first on Motortrend.

Burger King is taking food delivery to congested roadways. The fast food restaurant chain announced it will begin delivering food via motorcycle to cars stuck in traffic starting this month in Mexico, The Washington Post reported last Thursday. The in-traffic delivery will launch in Mexico City, which the TomTom Global Traffic Index calls the...

Knight Frank has committed to using only completely renewable electricity in the properties it manages.

Clearbell Capital has sold One Thames Valley, in Bracknell, to SevenCapital for £12.8m.

Previously exclusive to the Civic hatchback, the Sport trim level makes its way to four- and two-door body styles. Here are four distinctive features of the 2019 Honda Civic Sport sedan and coupe:

Styling Inspired by Civic Si

The Civic Sport sits above the base-model LX in the lineup, but it gets upgraded styling bits inspired by the Civic Si. In addition to its 18-inch wheels, the center-mounted exhaust tip, gloss back exterior trim, and decklid spoiler make it stand out from Civic LX.

Naturally Aspirated 2.0L Engine

The Civic Sport is powered by the 2.0-liter I-4 from the Civic LX, rated at 158 horsepower and 138 lb-ft of torque. That may not sound like a lot, but it should be more than adequate for most people, and it’s surprisingly fun to drive when paired with the six-speed manual gearbox (a continuously variable transmission is optional).

Chassis Upgrades

In addition to retuned shocks and rear control arms, the 2019 Civic Sport has a quicker steering ratio compared to Civic LX and is fitted with a beefier front anti-roll bar that’s 26.5mm thick (25mm in Civic LX). Despite the minor tweaks, the Civic Sport is still a smooth cruiser with a compliant ride.

Strong Value

A sedan with the six-speed manual is the cheapest way into a Civic Sport, at just $1,700 more than a Civic LX. On top of the chassis upgrades, stepping up to a Civic Sport adds remote entry, cloth and leather-like seating material, leather-wrapped steering wheel and shift knob, sport pedals, as well as Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.

The post 2019 Honda Civic Sport: 4 Things to Know About the Coupe and Sedan appeared first on Motortrend.

Investment bank JP Morgan has downgraded Intu Properties in a critical note on the UK’s largest shopping centre landlord.

High street woes have hit Landsec net asset value, driving it down 4.5% as concerns in the retail sector continued to bite.

The government has confirmed Japan’s biggest housebuilder will move into the UK housing market after striking a £90m deal that will see it work with Homes England and Urban Splash to deliver thousands of new homes across England.

Mazda is a brand that gives you more than what you’d expect from a mass market automaker. When the 2019 Mazda3 debuted at the 2018 Los Angeles auto show, it cemented Mazda’s commitment to doing things differently. From its engaging driving dynamics to its sultry exterior design, the 2019 Mazda3 looks more expensive than it actually is. Move inside and you’ll immediately notice Mazda’s upscale intentions with an interior that sweats every detail to ensure the car feels special. Despite its humble underpinnings, the 2019 Mazda3 proves that great engineering creates solid vehicles that are sporty yet comfortable.

The 2019 Mazda3 moves the Japanese automaker closer to premium territory with its sensuous new look, and a new platform that yields a smoother ride without sacrificing the brand’s renowned athleticism. Supportive seats that offer high levels of comfort, a long list of available driver assist tech, and an updated infotainment system featuring a large 8.8-inch screen controlled by a rotary knob evoke vehicles with higher price tags and more desirable badges. A standard 186-hp 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine gives you more power than your average compact car and available all-wheel drive improves stability and all-season usability.

The 2019 Mazda3 is available with a 12-speaker Bose audio system with front woofers and real metal speaker grills, which help give it a level of refinement above many of its competitors. Outstanding build quality and a quiet cabin round out the 2019 Mazda3’s repertoire, further making it feel a class above its own. Check out the video above to learn how the 2019 Mazda3 competes against entry-level cars wearing luxury badges.

The post Find Out What Makes the 2019 Mazda3 Punch Above its Weight appeared first on Motortrend.

Electric car owners in Illinois may soon face an annual $1,000 registration fee to offset uncollected fuel taxes. The Chicago Tribune last week reported on the proposed registration fee, which would be 60 times more expensive than registration for a standard vehicle with an internal-combustion engine. The $1,000 registration fee would not apply to...

JLL has hired former GL Hearn planning director Asher Ross to head up its planning, development and heritage team in London.

Two of Ford Motor Company's discontinued small cars may come back to haunt it for the second time. The automaker is facing potential legal action as a law firm in California hopes to undo an earlier class-action lawsuit in pursuit of an even bigger payday for consumers over transmission woes in its Focus and Fiesta models, The Detroit Free Press...

Done to death: Here are the cars that are dead for 2020 Death is an inevitability for everything, even for hearses like the newly discontinued Cadillac XTS. BMW, Microsoft team up to improve in-car voice recognition BMW and Microsoft have forged a partnership to improve in-car voice-recognition systems. Court rules that Michigan can suspend...

The Royal Bank of Scotland has appointed agents to sell its former London headquarters in the City of London.