Kris Culmer

Kris Culmer
Title: Chief sub-editor

Kris Culmer is the chief sub-editor for Autocar, meaning he is responsible for editing and fact-checking all articles published both online and in print. 

He has more than eight years of experience of reporting on the car industry, having joined What Car? in 2016 and then moved to sister title Autocar in 2020. 

Kris also frequently writes news and reviews for Autocar, his specialist subject being motorsport. He trained as a journalist at the Brighton Journalist Works, where he earned his NCTJ Gold Standard in 2016. 

Having a strong passion for history, Kris also manages Autocar’s office archive, which dates back to 1895, and regularly produces retrospective insights. 

Prior to joining the automotive media, Kris was a freelance contributor of news and sports reports to local newspapers in his home county of East Sussex. 

Kris is an expert in:

  • Motorsport, particularly Formula 1
  • The history and development of the global car industry
  • New car news
  • New car reviewing
  • Smaller and more obscure automotive companies

Kris Culmer Q&A

What was your biggest news story?

Long gallery-style pieces on the histories of car brands’ emblems and the dates of brands’ introduction on the UK required a lot of research but were rewarding, digging a lot of interesting information out of obscurity. And travelling to 2022 pre-season testing in Spain to get an exclusive view of the new Formula 1 cars also resulted in an interview with Esteban Ocon and a scoop on the F1 aero of the Alpine A290.

What’s the best car you’ve ever driven?

I adore bespoke sports cars, especially if they’re light, don’t go overboard with power and allow me to do the gear changes. The Subaru BRZ, Toyota GR86, Alpine A110, Porsche 911 and Mazda MX-5 therefore all stand out – but the best has to be a BMW M2 on track at Goodwood.

What will the car industry look like in 20 years?

Everyday cars will all be battery-electric, bloated with connectivity and driver-assistance technology, and all will look very similar indeed. Almost all of them will be crossovers and SUVs, sadly, and none of them will stir an old soul with their driving experiences. Thankfully, though, there will be an even more thriving old-car scene than there is today to keep us petrolheads happy.

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Muck Rack

Crowd
Brits flocked to buy ex-army cars - once they had been freed from the mud
News

Scandal over government handling of World War I surplus

We were outraged in 1919 as thousands of taxpayer-bought cars, trucks and motorcycles were left to rot in the open

Scandal over government handling of World War I surplus
Lorry 1960
Tate & Lyle trucked sugar from London; this Foden is a later, 1970 model
News

Experiencing the life and hardships of a 1960s lorry driver

We discover how hard it is to thread a 22-tonne eight-wheeler through towns and scale hills on a freezing night

Experiencing the life and hardships of a 1960s lorry driver
Car review

MG Cyberster

Chinese-owned MG celebrates the marque's centenary with a hard-hitting, multifaceted electric roadster

MG Cyberster
DR SUV front three quarter
Hyundai Kona-sized DR 5.0 is one of Italy’s favourite crossovers
News

Italian firm DR fined €6 million for misrepresenting Chinese cars

Italy's competition and markets authority contends that DR and Evo cars aren't actually built in Italy

Italian firm DR fined €6 million for misrepresenting Chinese cars
Car review

Suzuki Ignis

Suzuki's dinky SUV is good value, versatile, capable and spacious - enough to forgive its cheap-feeling materials and unsophisticated ride

Suzuki Ignis
TVR speed 12 front
F1-chasing Speed 12 was twice as potent as a normal Cerbera
News

When TVR made an undrivable sub-tonne 660bhp V12 supercar

The 7/12 was a "wild" road racer that even intimidated Martin Brundle, before it was deemed unsafe

When TVR made an undrivable sub-tonne 660bhp V12 supercar
Car review

Lexus UX

Japanese rival to the Audi Q3 and BMW X1 has been updated with a stronger powertrain, a sharper chassis and modern tech

Lexus UX
archive copy
L-R: Atkinson, Stringfellow, Walker; Tyrrell, Leasor, Cottee, Numan; Hill, Smith, Lauda, Everage
News

What 1980s car-loving celebrities thought of their cars

Peter Stringfellow, Rowan Atkinson, Ken Tyrrell, Gary Numan; we interviewed them all to ask about their daily drivers

What 1980s car-loving celebrities thought of their cars
ENB Le Mans cars
ENB ran two Ferraris, a Jaguar and a Porsche in 1957 Le Mans 24 Hours
News

How the leader of a jazz band became a grand prix driver

We trace the story of Octave John Claes and how he was responsible for a Belgian motorsport force

How the leader of a jazz band became a grand prix driver
Vera Hedges Butler
Hedges Butler and Charles Rolls (left) were also flying pioneers
News

Remembering one of motoring's most pioneering women

We remember Vera Hedges Butler, the first British woman to earn a driving licence and herioc Red Cross volunteer

Remembering one of motoring's most pioneering women
Car review

Maxus Mifa 9

MG's commercial sibling branches out with a luxury seven-seat electric MPV

Maxus Mifa 9

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