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EVO (magazine)

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evo is a motoring magazine published monthly in Great Britain by Dennis Publishers. The publication has a reputation for excellent journalism and photography, and frequently tests the world's fastest automobiles all over the globe. evo has nine worldwide editions - the UK, Croatia, France, Greece, Italy, Malaysia, Middle East, Phillipines and Russia each have a separate edition. The magazine's ethos is 'the thrill of driving' and specialises in reviewing and testing only sports cars.

The UK's Fastest Growing Magazine

evo has proved sensationally popular here in the UK. Last year, circulation increased by four percent while many other magazine titles' circulation dropped by up to twenty-five percent. Editorial Director Harry Metcalfe leads an enthusiastic team of talented automotive writers, from recent recruit Staff Writer Henry Catchpole to Deputy Editor Jethro Bovingdon. Recent magazine projects have included the production of a Westfield XI kit car, and then driving the finished product to the Classic Le Mans, and the modification of a BMW M3 to complete a lap of the Nurburgring Nordschiefe in less than eight minutes.

evo not only tests cars - it can have an active responsibility in the development of them too. Following a scathing review of the Aston Martin DB9, the writers were invited to Aston to talk over their findings. The recently produced 'Sport Pack' for the DB9 is the product of this conversation. Recently, evo joined efforts with Prodrive while they engineered a series of upgrades for the Aston V8 Vantage, and Renault also took the magazine's advice about possible modifications to the Megane 225 - the subsequent 'Trophy' model is a five-star rated car in the magazine.

evo is offered in two different UK formats - the 'Collectors Edition' and the standard edition. The standard edition is the issue offered for sale to the general public in newsagents and magazine stands; the Collectors Edition is sent to subscribers only. The content remains identical, but the cover of the CE is cleaner, usually with just the single imposing cover photograph, under the evo title. Subscribers are treated to a letter from the Editor each month, which has recently gone electronic.

Every issue of the magazine follows the traditional form of - Introduction; News; Reviews; Letters; Articles and Stories; Longtermers; Data Section; and, finally, 'Birth of an Icon', a feature dedicated to the history of a selected automobile.

evo grew from the smouldering remains of Britain's Performance Car magazine, and features many of the writers and contributers from the magazine. Performance Car stopped publishing in 1998, and evo started shortly after. Performance Car was famous as the magazine which helped a young Jeremy Clarkson become one of the most famous motoring journalists in the world.

The eCoTY

Each year, evo and its crew take the year's best new cars on a mammoth test, which is split into two parts, to find the evo Car of The Year (eCoTY). This feature has grown into one of the most influential reports of new cars in British media, and is generally the best selling evo. Leg one takes place in Wales, evo's preferred testing spot in the UK, with cars which are deemed 'affordable', which usually consists of hot-hatches and small-scale sports cars. Leg Two occurs abroad, usually involving a trans-country trip in Europe, with a central hub. In 2006, the hub was in the South of France, near the Alps and the famous 'Route de Napoleon'. The second leg is made up of the two finalists from the first leg, plus a mix of supercars, ranging from Ferrari's 599 GTB to Porsche's 911 Turbo. The test has its roots set firmly in the pre-evo Performance Car magazine, the magazine which championed the format of the original CoTY feature.

The eCoTY completely dominates an issue, and makes for interesting reading as the best affordable cars are pitted against the cream of the supercar crop. A separate journalist is appointed to each leg, but every member of the team give the car points out of ten, which are totalled to give the final score. This year, the Ferrari 599 GTB won. Former winners are (including Performance Car):

The evo Triangle

The evo Triangle is their favourite circuit of roads in Wales. For years, the location and precise roads remained a secret until it was leaked recently. The circuit is made up from the A5, a main arterial road, and two B-roads, and is found near Betwys-y-Coed, Wales. evo use the circuit for many of their British-based car tests, and the scenery of picturesque Wales makes a stunning background for the publication's most memorable photographs.

The Fast Fleet

evo, like many other monthlies, run manufacturer demonstration cars for a period of time, ranging from six months to a year. Each car is officially run by a member of the magazine's team, which includes the photographers, who are known to run up to 150,000 miles per year - so it is the ultimate test for a performance car. However, not all vehicles in the Fast Fleet section are given gratis by the manufacturers - evo recently forked out its own money for a Fiat Panda 100 HP, only because Fiat UK did not have a press car for the story they had planned, and before this bought an import Ford Mustang. The magazine's Editor runs his own Pagani Zonda S, which replaced a Ferrari 550.

The current Fast Fleet is -

  • Fiat Panda 100 HP
  • Audi RS4
  • Nissan 350Z Roadster
  • VW Golf R32
  • Skoda Octavia vRS
  • Lexus IS250 SE
  • Subaru Impreza WRX
  • Ford Focus ST
  • Jaguar XK
  • Vauxhall Astra VXR
  • Pagani Zonda S
  • Lamborghini Murcelago
  • Porsche 911 964 Carrera RS
  • SEAT Leon 2.0 TDI
  • Hyundai Coupe V6
  • Renault Clio 197
  • Nissan Navara
  • Husqvarna SM 610

The Hyundai Coupe V6 is evo's long running project car, used on all of evo's 'evoActive' trackday sessions. The car has had a number of upgrades from standard, including tyres, wheels, brakes, exhaust, engine re-map and suspension. As mentioned before, evo also runs a project car, a BMW M3, called 'Target: 8 Minutes', which Deputy Editor Jethro Bovingdon uses to try to set a laptime of 8 minutes around the 14-mile Nurburgring. So far, this project has given negligible success.

External Links

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