Motoring · Design · Culture

Studio Chicane

Archive

By department and date.

Everything eligible for the public site, grouped by department and ordered newest first. Legacy pieces keep their original publication dates.

Garage9 articles

  1. 25 September 2026

    The Parts Promise

    BMW’s fifty-year Z8 parts undertaking becomes tangible in a bonnet-release lever, a steering wheel, and an aluminium spaceframe built unlike an ordinary body shell.

    Feature
  2. 25 September 2026

    The American Argument

    Nearly half of BMW's US E36 M3 sedans left the factory with an automatic. That is an interesting car—and audience—to take seriously.

    Explainer
  3. 25 September 2026

    The E39 540i Six-Speed, on Its Own Terms

    A V8, a Getrag six-speed and standard sport suspension: BMW's 2001 US equipment sheets make a more interesting introduction than “not an M5.”

    Feature
  4. 25 September 2026

    The Shape, the Specification

    The US-market 2016 G550 paired a 4.0-litre biturbo V8 with rigid axles, a two-speed transfer case and three locking differentials. Its old silhouette hides a very specific mechanical brief.

    Note
  5. 25 September 2026

    The Particular One

    The 997 GT2’s Turbo-derived 3.6, VTG turbos, rear drive and six-speed manual form a more interesting sentence than an unofficial generation label.

    Feature
  6. 25 September 2026

    After Mezger

    Porsche’s GT3 history identifies the 2013 model as the break from a Mezger-based engine. Its 2017 GT3 technical account shows that a family break did not end Motorsport’s habit of carrying particular engineering ideas forward.

    Explainer
  7. 3 February 2025

    The S54: The Last of the Great Bavarian Hearts

    Throttle Bodies Over Touchscreens: The S54 and a Lost Era of Driving

    Explainer
  8. 2 February 2025

    Option Code: CXX

    Ordering a Porsche Through Sonderwunsch: A Love Letter to the Perfect Cockpit

    Feature
  9. 2 February 2025

    The Mercedes-AMG G65: A V12 Relic of Excess, and Why I’m Buying One

    When nothing makes sense, sometimes excess is the only answer.

    Feature

Roads1 article

  1. 3 February 2025

    The Last Great Adventure Before the World Stopped

    A Story of Empty Roads, Endless Skies, and the Solitude of a Pandemic

    Feature

Ideas4 articles

  1. 25 September 2026

    The Price of Participation

    The North American Carrera S manual returns as a complete technical brief: rear-axle steering, lowered PASM, centre-lock wheels and a six-speed shared with the Carrera T.

    Note
  2. 25 September 2026

    Keep the Radio. Fix the Listening.

    Modern listening and navigation belong in the conversation. So does the dashboard you liked before you decided to update it.

    Note
  3. 25 September 2026

    The Brochure Promised a Life

    Two 2016 G-Class brochure spreads put the nameplate between a dark landscape and a city-lit cabin, then ask the reader to want both.

    Note
  4. 2 February 2025

    Welcome to Studio Chicane: The Last Refuge for Those Who Still Care

    Where the machines still matter, the roads still call, and craftsmanship still means something.

    Feature

Objects4 articles

  1. 25 September 2026

    After ‘No Longer Available’

    Making an obsolete part again is not a printing trick. The hard part is proving the new one deserves to go on the car.

    Explainer
  2. 25 September 2026

    The Occasion

    The production 8C’s visual confidence sits over a real transaxle system: a front V8, torque tube, rear gearbox, differential and hydraulic actuator.

    Feature
  3. 25 September 2026

    The Name on the Engine

    At Affalterbach, a hand-signed AMG plaque records a maker's defined assembly practice—one that uses digital quality processes without becoming less human.

    Explainer
  4. 25 September 2026

    The Tire Is Part of the Restoration

    A period-looking tire and a tire approved for a particular car are not interchangeable ideas. Porsche’s 2016 classic-tire programme shows how much work sits between an attractive sidewall and a manufacturer’s model-specific approval.

    Explainer