Kris Culmer

Kris Culmer
Title: Chief sub-editor

Kris Culmer is the chief sub-editor for Autocar, meaning he is responsible for editing and fact-checking all articles published both online and in print. 

He has more than eight years of experience of reporting on the car industry, having joined What Car? in 2016 and then moved to sister title Autocar in 2020. 

Kris also frequently writes news and reviews for Autocar, his specialist subject being motorsport. He trained as a journalist at the Brighton Journalist Works, where he earned his NCTJ Gold Standard in 2016. 

Having a strong passion for history, Kris also manages Autocar’s office archive, which dates back to 1895, and regularly produces retrospective insights. 

Prior to joining the automotive media, Kris was a freelance contributor of news and sports reports to local newspapers in his home county of East Sussex. 

Kris is an expert in:

  • Motorsport, particularly Formula 1
  • The history and development of the global car industry
  • New car news
  • New car reviewing
  • Smaller and more obscure automotive companies

Kris Culmer Q&A

What was your biggest news story?

Long gallery-style pieces on the histories of car brands’ emblems and the dates of brands’ introduction on the UK required a lot of research but were rewarding, digging a lot of interesting information out of obscurity. And travelling to 2022 pre-season testing in Spain to get an exclusive view of the new Formula 1 cars also resulted in an interview with Esteban Ocon and a scoop on the F1 aero of the Alpine A290.

What’s the best car you’ve ever driven?

I adore bespoke sports cars, especially if they’re light, don’t go overboard with power and allow me to do the gear changes. The Subaru BRZ, Toyota GR86, Alpine A110, Porsche 911 and Mazda MX-5 therefore all stand out – but the best has to be a BMW M2 on track at Goodwood.

What will the car industry look like in 20 years?

Everyday cars will all be battery-electric, bloated with connectivity and driver-assistance technology, and all will look very similar indeed. Almost all of them will be crossovers and SUVs, sadly, and none of them will stir an old soul with their driving experiences. Thankfully, though, there will be an even more thriving old-car scene than there is today to keep us petrolheads happy.

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The venomous rise of the AC Cobra

The thunderous roadster emerged in 1962 as a V8 development of 1953’s Ace

The venomous rise of the AC Cobra
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1950s British cars' export prospects as seen by a foreigner

We asked a Swiss journalist whether Britain could recover its post-war lead as the European industry got going again

1950s British cars' export prospects as seen by a foreigner
CSC WW   59 Mini Goodwood   20211001 58
Mini is one of the most beloved of all the cars ever built, and survived until 2000
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Star cars from a century of British motoring

We dive into the Autocar Archive to trace Britain's automotive story right from the very beginning

Star cars from a century of British motoring
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How Formula 1 became a global advertising goldmine

Lotus advertised Player’s Gold Leaf brand and more famously JPS years later

How Formula 1 became a global advertising goldmine
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When F1 was full to bursting with terrible teams

No fewer than 40 cars were entered in 1989, despite the maximum permitted on a starting grid being 26

When F1 was full to bursting with terrible teams
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Rifles to roadsters: The fascinating story of I-Pace maker Magna

Magna Steyr is an unknown outside the industry but has been trusted by some of the world’s most respected car makers

Rifles to roadsters: The fascinating story of I-Pace maker Magna
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Controversy over introduction of numberplates

Motorists weren't onboard with the idea of registrations plates when they arrived in the early 1900s

Controversy over introduction of numberplates
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Is this electric family SUV from a Stellantis-allied Chinese EV brand a no-brainer bargain or a case of 'you get what you pay for'?

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