Dsm Black Triple Gauge Pod - 1g Eclipse 90-94 on 2040-parts.com

New Aston Martin Vanquish Volante arrives – costs £200k

The New Aston Martin Vanquish Volante (pictured) costs £200k It’s almost exactly a year since the Aston Martin Vanquish arrived as a replacement for the DBS, and now we get it’s convertible sibling – the new Aston Martin Vanquish Volante. Aston are claiming the new Vanquish Volante is the stiffest Aston convertible ever and have also managed to keep the usual weight increase for a soft top down to just 9kg by giving the Volante a full carbon fibre body. The result of that is the Volante manages to produce exactly the same performance figures as the Vanquish Coupe – 0-62mph in 4.1 seconds and 183mph – from its 565php, 6.0 litre V12 and shouldn’t, we hope, shake and shimmy in the way many Aston convertibles do in the process.

Seat Leon Cupra 280 breaks Nürburgring lap record (2014)

By Ollie Kew Motor Industry 05 March 2014 11:00 You’re looking at the fastest front-wheel drive car ever to lap the Nürburgring Nordschleife: the Seat Leon Cupra 280. A paddleshift DSG-equipped three-door example has lapped the 12-mile lap in 7min 58.44sec – smashing the previous record of 8min 7.97sec, held by the Renaultsport Megane Trophy. It's a slap in Honda's face too: the Japanese maker wanted its new Civic Type-R to be the first sub-8min hatch.

McLaren P1 explained by Anthony Sheriff (video): Paris 2012

McLaren Managing Director, Anthony Sheriff, explains exactly what the new McLaren P1 Supercar will offer its customers. But the concept P1 does show exactly where McLaren are heading with the spiritual successor to the McLaren F1 road car of the 1990s, and it does look 95 per cent like the production car. We covered what detail we have on the new P1 extensively yesterday when McLaren officially unveiled the P1 in Paris – from its construction to its downforce and active aero – but it’s interesting to get a McLaren view on their new baby, which we have from McLaren’s MD Anthony Sheriff.