Richard started as a car journalist in 2011 and joined Autocar in 2017, arriving from Evo magazine.
He loves writing about the cars he’s driven and the people behind them, so the road-test desk is a natural home. Assignments range from getting to grips with low-volume sports cars on windy airfields to scrutinising the latest global models from major OEMs, and of course strapping telemetry gear to the world's fastest cars at MIRA to see how quick they really are compared to rivals – and the maker’s claims. His writing is also regularly found in our features section, while his face is often seen on Autocar's YouTube channel and his voice heard on the Autocar podcast.
Highlights at Autocar include a class win while driving a Bowler Defender in the British Cross Country Championship, riding shotgun with a flat-out Walter Röhrl, and setting the magazine's fastest ever road-test laptime at the wheel of a Ferrari 296 GTB.
Lane owns an original Ford Focus RS, an eight-valve Delta Integrale and an early Honda Insight.
Richard is an expert in:
- In-depth performance testing and circuit benchmarking
- Objective road test reviewing
- Back-to-back comparison testing
- On-road ride and handling assessment
- The luxury, performance car and sports car segments
Richard Lane Q&A
What was your biggest news story?
Being on the road-test desk means being among the first people in the world outside the factory to drive a new model. For us, those first impressions from behind the wheel are the big, breaking stories.
Not to get too worthy about it, but given readers spend a hell of a lot of money on their cars and development costs for manufacturers are typically now measured in the billions of pounds, getting to the heart of the machine and delivering a reliable, entertaining verdict is critical – and an exciting challenge. Added fun often comes in the form of early-morning flights, after which you may only get a couple of hours in the hotseat, on unfamiliar roads. You can and should do your homework beforehand but once in the car, experience and instinct are your most useful tools.
For me, the biggest jobs are the ones where either the stakes are enormous (for example, any new VW Golf), or where the product is more niche but extremely important to a well-informed and dedicated audience (Hyundai i20N, BMW M2, Aston DBS 770).
What’s the best car you’ve ever driven?
Probably 2016’s Porsche 911 R, whose handling is just unbelievably indulgent. Mechanical engagement – everything you hear and feel – is standout and the car has a duality and easygoing usability the current and previous GT3 Touring models don’t. It’s a masterpiece.
Otherwise, the current Alpina B5 Bi-Turbo, though maybe the new M5 CS makes that seem a weird choice. They’re both spectacular. Or Alois Ruf’s personal 3.4-litre 1973 RSR tribute, which is just undiluted hedonism and nostalgia. In truth the best technical effort in recent years has been what Ferrari achieved with the 296 GTB – it really does rewrite the rulebook.
What will the car industry look like in 20 years?
Hard opinions on the future of this industry need to be treated with caution. The automotive ecosystem is so complex and vulnerable to external influences that nobody can know where we’ll be in 20 years.
Personally, while I worry about fast, thrilling cars unfairly becoming a bit of a lightning-rod for broader environmental concerns, like most sensible people I’m behind ever-increasing urban air quality and reducing the impact of vehicle manufacturing. It does however feel as though there’s currently a discrepancy between what we’re trying to achieve and how we’re going about it – ultra-efficient city cars are now an endangered species and yet the cheapest family EVs remain far from affordable.
This problem needs solving but so far it’s difficult to work out what the solution will be. I suspect Chinese manufacturers will play a pivotal role, possibly to the detriment of storied European brands.
More myopically, part of me hesitates to even scan the classifieds for my dream 997 Carrera because such a car would be ‘a keeper’ – but with legislation seemingly now being made off the cuff, you do wonder whether you’d even be permitted to enjoy it in 2045, and if so, at what cost? Strange times.
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