Sustainable fuel is back in the spotlight as Formula 1 prepares for a season running on 100 per cent sustainable fuel, while The Gassing Station co-host Sam Sheehan has filled his Mazda MX-5 with eco-friendly petrol from Coryton’s Sustain project, produced using agricultural and organic waste.

Attention also turns to BMW’s takeover of Alpina, including favourite pre-acquisition models like the Alpina V8 Roadster and rare Alpina B6 S 3.5.

A £40k rally support-car challenge follows, featuring an Aston Martin V8 Vantage and Subaru Impreza WRX STI S206, before a look at motorway fuel prices versus local forecourts.
🏎️ Sell your car on PistonHeads auctions: https://www.pistonheads.com/sell/auctions🎟️ Get your Annual Service 2026 tickets: https://www.pistonheads.com/events/annual-service

Chapters:

0:00 Intro

0:15 What is sustainable fuel really like?

20:22 Our favourite used Alpinas

37:52 £40k supercar rally support car

54:06 Why fill up at service stations?

Topics:

Sustainable fuels: https://www.pistonheads.com/news/general-pistonheads/whats-it-like-running-a-car-on-sustainable-fuel-/50924

New Alpina badge: https://www.pistonheads.com/news/ph-germancars/check-out-bmws-redesigned-alpina-emblem/50869

Why fill up at service stations?: https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&f=23&t=2115476

Cars:

Sam's Aston Martin V8 Vantage: https://www.pistonheads.com/buy/listing/19895513

Cam's Subaru S206: https://www.pistonheads.com/buy/listing/19314876

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Of course the 2026 Audi RS5 is the star of this week's podcast. Yes, it’s heavier and arguably should be called an RS4, but with 639hp from a plug-in hybrid V6 and a much broader stance, it’s a seriously muscular answer to an ageing G80 BMW M3 and the departed Mercedes-AMG C 63.

This week’s buying challenge is a £22k seven-seater, where a smart Mitsubishi Shogun battles a luxo-spec Toyota Alphard. Finally, we explore badge engineering oddities, from the Toyota GT86 trio to the many aliases of the Vauxhall Frontera.

🏎️ Sell your car on PistonHeads auctions: https://www.pistonheads.com/sell/auctions

🎟️ Get your Annual Service 2026 tickets: https://www.pistonheads.com/events/annual-service

Chapters:

0:00 Intro

6:05 Audi RS5 - all the details

36:23 £22k 7 seaters

53:55 How many badges can one car wear?

Topics:

Audi RS5: https://www.pistonheads.com/news/ph-germancars/audi-replaces-rs4-with-new-plug-in-639hp-rs5/50893

Seven seaters for £22k: https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&f=255&t=2136326

Badge engineering: https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&f=23&t=2136225

Cars:

Sam's Mitsubishi Shogun: https://www.pistonheads.com/buy/listing/19622230

Cam's Toyota Alphard: https://www.pistonheads.com/buy/listing/19508809piston

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This week's episode of The Gassing Station kicks off with Sam’s drive of Volkswagen’s Golf GTI Edition 50, the most powerful production GTI yet, and how it all went down on that Clubsport S-beating lap around the Nurburgring.

The two then take a deep dive into the best used sports cars for 2026, spanning everything from a Lotus Esprit to Vipers, R8s and a 650S. Finally, there’s an £85k weekend car challenge, featuring a 718 Boxster Spyder and a tempting McLaren GT.

🏎️ Sell your car on PistonHeads auctions: https://www.pistonheads.com/sell/auctions🎟️ Get your Annual Service 2026 tickets: https://www.pistonheads.com/events/annual-service

Chapters:

0:00 Intro

0:57 VW Golf GTI Edition 50

9:58 Best used supercars

47:47 £85k weekend car

Topics:

VW Golf GTI Edition 50 - https://www.pistonheads.com/news/ph-driven/2026-vw-golf-gti-edition-50--ph-review/50817

Best used supercars - https://www.pistonheads.com/news/ph-features/the-best-used-supercars-to-buy-in-2026/50842

Weekend car for £85k - https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&f=255&t=2130723

Sam's Porsche 718 Boxster Spyder - https://www.pistonheads.com/buy/listing/19641655

Cam's McLaren GT - https://www.pistonheads.com/buy/listing/19355697

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A week on from Sam’s first drive of Jaguar’s electric GT, the debate is still raging, so we’re holding judgement until it hits real tarmac. This episode then turns to something far less contentious: the McLaren F1 GTR currently for sale on PH, including its Le Mans history and what it takes to own the ultimate supercar.

There’s also a buying challenge for a first car on a £5,000 budget, plus a discussion on whether once you go automatic, you ever really go back to manual.

🏎️ Sell your car on PistonHeads auctions: https://www.pistonheads.com/sell/auctions🎟️ Get your Annual Service 2026 tickets: https://www.pistonheads.com/events/annual-service

Chapters:

0:00 Intro

11:28 McLaren F1 GTR for sale

31:14 £5k first cars

49:01 Have you gone back to manual after an auto?

Cars:

Sam's Audi TT: https://www.pistonheads.com/buy/listing/19805287

Cam's Fiesta ST: https://www.pistonheads.com/buy/listing/19669765

Topics:

McLaren F1 GTR for sale: https://www.pistonheads.com/buy/listing/19783298

First car choice: https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&f=255&t=2134145

Once you go auto, you never go back?: https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&f=23&t=2134754

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Fresh from the frozen lakes of Sweden, this episode hands the mic to Sam for a deep dive into Jaguar’s all-new electric GT prototype. With production edging closer, he shares what it’s like to sample a 1,000hp Jaguar EV in Arctic conditions and why it’s a pivotal moment for the brand.

There’s also a twist on the usual buying challenge, as we split £50k across three cars, serving up everything from Caymans and TVRs to a Bentley Turbo R and a supercharged XJR. No final topic this week, but plenty to keep you busy.

Chapters:

0:00 Intro

11:38 Jaguar electric GT first drive

41:55 Three car garage for £50k

Topics:

Jaguar XJR: https://www.pistonheads.com/buy/listing/19742279

First up is a list of the best used sports cars for 2026 according to PistonHeads, which has ruffled feathers to say the least. Then there’s a £25k buying challenge for a petrol, automatic coupe with some poke, featuring everything from BMW M cars to a tempting Jaguar XKR. Finally, we debate the merits (or not) of owning a left-hand-drive car in the UK.

🏎️ Sell your car on PistonHeads auctions: https://www.pistonheads.com/sell/auctions

🎟️ Get your Annual Service 2026 tickets: https://www.pistonheads.com/events/annual-service

Cam's XKR: https://www.pistonheads.com/buy/auction/19731492

Sam's BMW M2: https://www.pistonheads.com/buy/listing/19276774

Topics:

Best used sports car: https://www.pistonheads.com/news/ph-features/the-best-used-sports-cars-to-buy-in-2026/50791 £25k coupes: https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&f=255&t=2130444Owning a left-hand drive car: https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&f=23&t=2134402

With most 2026 launches looking bleakly EV-heavy, today's episode cuts through the noise to highlight the cars that still matter to PHers. From rumours of flat-six Porsche Boxsters and Caymans, and potentially a V8 AMG CLE 63, to Ford’s long-teased supercar and the reborn Boreham Ford RS200, there’s still plenty to get excited about.Then, Cam and Sam tackle a £1,500 winter hack challenge, before finishing on a surprisingly divisive topic: whether reversing into parking spaces really is the superior move.🏎️ Sell your car on PistonHeads auctions: https://www.pistonheads.com/sell/auctions🎟️ Get your Annual Service 2026 tickets: https://www.pistonheads.com/events/annual-service Chapters:0:00 Intro7:55 New cars coming in 202628:23 £1.5k winter hacks46:09 Should you ever nose park?Topics: When is it ever right to nose park? - https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&f=23&t=2132726Follow us on social media: 🗣 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pistonheads 📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pistonheads 🐦 X: https://twitter.com/pistonheads

A few weeks into the New Year feels like the perfect excuse to buy a car, so this episode tackles one of the big questions: how does finance work on used and auction cars? To find out, Cam and Sam are joined by Dean Clarke from Charles & Dean, a proper petrolhead with serious experience in performance and collectible car finance.

There’s also a £40k buying challenge for the best performance family car, with picks including a Giulia, Focus RS and an FL5 Civic Type R. To wrap up, Dean reveals some of the wild machinery Charles & Dean has financed, from race cars to rare classics.

Get a quote with Charles & Dean Finance: https://charlesanddean.com/partners/ph-partnership Charles & Dean Finance are a credit broker, not a lender. Authorised and Regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FRN 6533592) Credit subject to status, 18+, T&Cs apply

🏎️ Sell your car on PistonHeads auctions: https://www.pistonheads.com/sell/auctions

🎟️ Get your Annual Service 2026 tickets: https://www.pistonheads.com/events/annual-service

Chapters: 0:00 Intro

15:36 How can you finance a used car?

34:12 £40k fast family car challenge54:21

Weird and wonderful cars financed by Charles & Dean

Follow us on social media: 🗣 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pistonheads 📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pistonheads 🐦 X: https://twitter.com/pistonheads

Let's kick off 2026 with a dose of optimism, shall we? To open our first podcast of the year, Sam reveals Skoda could revive the Fabia vRS if demand for its new warm hatch is strong, which could do wonders for the (currently quite rubbish) hot hatch market.

Before saying goodbye to 2025, Cam and Sam run through PH’s favourite cars from the last 12 months, from the Vanquish Volante to the M2 CS, C8 Corvette and Defender OCTA.

There’s a £30k two-car garage challenge with everything from RX-8s to Panameras, before finishing on how much research is too much when buying a car.

Hooray! The EU has backtracked on banning combustion cars outright from 2035 onwards. To celebrate, today's episode of The Gassing Station begins with Sam's review of a new 640hp V8-engined Ferrari - the Amalfi. Cam and Sam then tackle a festive buying challenge: the best £10k performance estate, featuring a lovely E500 Estate and a tempting Audi S4 Avant. Finally, the two dive into the cars owners simply can’t sell, before signing off for the year. See you all in the New Year!