Richard joined Autocar in 2017 and loves putting readers in the driver's seat, making the road-test desk his 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 makers’ claims. He's also a regular feature-writer for the magazine, and can be often seen on Autocar's YouTube channel and 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 road-test lap-time to date at the wheel of a Ferrari 296 GTB.
Away from work, Richard's ownership history includes an eight-valve Integrale, an orignal Ford Focus RS and a Mk1 Honda Insight – the one with the spats.
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, often in prototype form. For us, those first impressions from behind the wheel are the big, breaking stories.
What’s the best car you’ve ever driven?
Probably Porsche's 911 R. The handling is unbelievably exploitable and the sense of mechanical engagement is profound, but it's not an intimidating car. Just a straight masterpiece. In second place is a 1947 Cisitalia 202.
What will the car industry look like in 20 years?
Hard opinions on the future of this industry need to be treated with caution but change in inevitable and innovations such as Hyundai's synthesized gearbox for the all-electric Ioniq 5 N are encouraging. The idea sounds a bit silly on paper but it reality it really does add to the driving experience. Expect more of this sort of thing in the future. We're also long overdue a trend in vehicle weights decreasing, but this is only going to come about through new battery technology.
Away from the big OEMs and their electrification drives, there's been an explosion in small-scale outfits making truly memorable drivers' cars, often by modifying older cars. This type of product is never especially cheap but it does tend to be laced with passion. It's something we do very well in the UK.
