Richard is Autocar's deputy road test editor. He previously worked at Evo magazine. His role involves travelling far and wide to be among the first to drive new cars. That or heading up to Nuneaton, to fix telemetry gear to test cars at MIRA proving ground and see how faithfully they meet their makers' claims.
He's also a feature-writer for the magazine, a columnist, and can be often found on Autocar's YouTube channel.
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. Nursing a stricken Jeep up 2950ft to the top of a deserted Grossglockner Pass is also in the mix.
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?
Working on the road-test desk means being among the first people in the world outside factory development drivers to try a new car. Those precious early impressions are the big, breaking stories for road testers, no matter the class of car.
What’s the best car you’ve ever driven?
'Best' is tricky to define, but probably Porsche's 2016 911 R. Unbelievably exploitable, 911-typical handling, with a profound sense of mechanical engagement but not at all intimidating. Not exactly cuddly, either, mind. In second place is a 1947 Cisitalia 202. In third, any slick-shod competition Caterham Seven – they're pure synaptic indulgence.
What will the car industry look like in 20 years?
Different, but possibly not as different as we're expecting. We're currently seeing regulatory amibition meet with reality, and in some respects that is generating brilliant new ideas but it's also resulting in a strange stasis. As a case in point, I like what Hyundai has attempted to do with the simulated gearshifts in the Ioniq 5 N, but I also like that Ferrari is talking about manual gearboxes again. I hope this is an indication that variety will remain a cornerstone of the car industry.
