John Barker Journalist Profile

Articles

The Caterham Project V is Britain's answer to the electric Porsche Cayman

Jan 13, 2025 | evo.co.uk | John Barker |Yousuf Ashraf |Sam Jenkins

As development for Caterham's upcoming electric sports car, the Project V, edges towards completion later this year, the model has been shown at the Tokyo Auto Salon in its latest form. Taiwan-based battery supplier Xing Mobility has joined Yamaha and Tokyo R&D as a technical partner, helping bring the car to market.
Caterham Project V due in 2025 to take on electric Porsche Cayman

Dec 11, 2024 | evo.co.uk | John Barker |Yousuf Ashraf |Sam Jenkins

As development for Caterham's upcoming electric sports car, the Project V, edges towards completion in 2025, new details on its underpinnings have come to light. Taiwan-based battery supplier Xing Mobility has joined Yamaha and Tokyo R&D as a technical partner, helping bring the car to market.
Ferrari Roma – design | Evo

Nov 22, 2024 | evo.co.uk | John Barker

Ferrari design has had its hits and misses in recent times but the Roma does very little that will offend the purists. To classic, fastback GT proportions, Ferrari has added a shark-like nose with a version of the classic Ferrari ‘egg crate’ grille that looks like an original that’s been vinyl wrapped and then someone has punched the holes through with a thumb. Its rump is distinguished by the blade-like upper edge and four integrated tail lights.
Ferrari Roma – interior and tech | Evo

Nov 22, 2024 | evo.co.uk | John Barker

The Ferrari Roma’s boot isn’t huge for a GT, being reasonably long and wide but rather low, though the backrests of the teeny rear seats fold down, Porsche 911 style, in the hard-top car for a sort of parcel shelf and load-through. If you’re interested, there’s 272 litres of capacity that expands to 345 litres with the seat backs lowered.
Ferrari Roma – MPG and running costs | Evo

Nov 22, 2024 | evo.co.uk | John Barker

The relatively subdued Comfort mode on the Roma certainly did the trick on the official WLTP efficiency tests. Both coupe and Spider return in the region of 25mpg on the combined cycle with CO2 emissions of 255g/km and 258g/km respectively. Actually achieving those kinds of numbers in the real world would require formidable restraint but the 80-litre fuel tank means it’s perfectly possible to extract a touring range befitting of a continent-shrinking GT car.
Ferrari Roma – ride and handling | Evo

Nov 22, 2024 | evo.co.uk | John Barker

You get the first clue that dynamically the Ferrari Roma is going to be a bit special within yards. Leaving the hotel on the international press launch we found ourselves on cobbled streets, all that comes through is a soft, quiet pattering. A little further on, some unavoidable, horribly broken asphalt also rolled beneath the Roma’s wheels with remarkably little fuss.
Ferrari Roma – engine and gearbox | Evo

Nov 22, 2024 | evo.co.uk | John Barker

Mid-front mounted (its front face is wholly behind the front axle line), the 3.9-litre, twin-turbo, flat-plane-crank V8 has been fettled to over 600bhp for the Ferrari Roma. A final tally of 611bhp between 5750 and 7000rpm, with torque unchanged at 560lb ft from 3000 to 5250rpm spells real potency.
Ferrari Roma – performance and 0-60 time | Evo

Nov 22, 2024 | evo.co.uk | John Barker

Give the throttle a decent squeeze and the Roma picks up crisply and drives forward with all the thrilling eagerness you expect from a 600bhp, twin-turbo V8. Stretch the engine and the pace never seems to let up, the rev-counter needle swinging to 7500rpm and the eight-speed DCT slipping instantly into the next ratio so that the acceleration is seamless and relentless.
TVR Griffith (1990 - 2002): a pure and unadulterated sports car

Nov 17, 2024 | evo.co.uk | John Barker

I remember the first time I saw a TVR Griffith. It looked astounding, modern yet classic, like a traditional sports car that had been through a gemstone tumbler. It’s been years since I’ve been up close with one and as the garage door goes up, I’m in awe all over again, of the car that laid the foundations upon which the iconic TVR Sagaris and TVR Tuscan, among many others, built.
My Life & Cars – David Twohig, automotive engineer | Evo

Nov 13, 2024 | evo.co.uk | John Barker

Becoming a chief vehicle engineer and being responsible for a whole car is a position that only a handful of automotive engineers get to enjoy. To lead a team and deliver a car that also hits or exceeds the brief is therefore a great achievement. To do that three times and then, after delivering each one, go off to do something completely different suggests a restless and healthy curiosity. That hunger for new challenges has certainly served David Twohig well in the course of his career to date.