GEARING UP
Hybrid sports car described by Jeremy Clarkson as ‘really rather cool’ can now be yours for under £6,000
It pays homage to a much-loved Honda model of the past
A HYBRID motor that Jeremy Clarkson described as "really rather cool" can now be yours for less than £6,000.
The sporty Honda CR-Z, built between 2010 and 2016 (but retired in Europe in 2014), aimed to be a more fun version of the fabled Toyota Prius - turning the philosophy of the pioneering hybrid into a sports coupe.
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Clarkson was certainly convinced, writing for the Sunday Times in 2010 that it was “odd in a pretty way" as he favourably compared it to the old CR-X, a car he admits he "liked very much."
He added: "I liked it so much, in fact, that having seen one small picture of it on a stand at the Tokyo motor show, I decided to buy one.”
The CR-Z certainly boasts a different yet stylish kind of look - with its unique wedge-like double-glassed back end paying homage to the original CR-X.
Clarkson added: “In short, the CR-Z looks like a sports car.
“Drive one of these and people will think you are a boy racer, a motoring enthusiast.”
However, the Top Gear legend does note that the hybrid-powered motor’s shape does come with some drawbacks.
He wrote: “You can’t see out of the back and, at oblique junctions, you just have to cross your fingers and hope.”
He also noted that, despite its sports car looks, it doesn’t quite have the performance to back it up.
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He wrote: “It can just about beat the 10-second barrier to 60mph and it will do 124mph flat out but you have to work hard to achieve these figures.
“And if you work hard, you are undoing the whole point of the thing in the first place.”
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Despite that, for someone looking for an affordable hybrid motor with a sporty style and a little bit of oomph, the CR-Z might just be the set of wheels you're looking for.
In 2024, they're a bargain - seemingly available for less than £6,000 with a 90,000-mile example currently available via Pistonheads for £5,150.
Clarkson summed up his love for the CR-Z with: “Buying a CR-Z, then, means you can be environmental without telling everyone what you’re up to.
"It’s a bit like being knighted and not telling anyone. And that makes it really rather cool.”
This comes as an expert car dealer showed off a popular hatchback that he picked up for just £400, before selling it for a profit.
And elsewhere, a modern classic sports car in pristine condition that’s "never seen rain" can be yours for a bargain price.
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