Well the title says it all. For this episode of their Head 2 Head show, Motortrend assembles a dream lineup. From Japan we have the 550-hp V10-powered Lexus LFA, from Italy, the amazing 700-hp V12-powered Lamborghini Aventador, and from Woking, United Kingdom there’s the twin-turbo V8 McLaren Mp4-12C with 590-hp. These cars will each take on the big daddy, the ultimate super car, the 1001-hp W16 Bugatti Veyron.

You do not want to miss this.

Peugeot released two new special editions in the UK market based on the 207 CC and 308 CC. These coupe-cabriolets are the  ‘Roland Garros’ editions and they’re fully loaded. The launch of these SE cars is timed for Summer and during the Roland Garros – The French Open tournament, as its the best way of publicizing these models.

The RG editions of 207 and 208 are distinguished by bespoke Black or White paintwork. The 207 CC can be ordered in Onyx Black or Bianca White – and with two engines, 1.6-litre VTi 120 petrol or 1.6-litre HDi 112 diesel – and the 307 CC in Nera Black & Pearl White – with a wider engine choice including  1.6-litre THP 156 or THP 200 petrol, or the 2.0-litre HDi 163 diesel.

As for the value-added features, the 207 gets Aluminium door sills, 17” Melbourne alloy wheels, Bi-Zone air conditioning, an electrochrome rear view mirror, auto headlamps, cruise control and speed limiter, Peugeot Connect with Bluetooth, rear parking aid, electric folding door mirrors and tinted rear windows.

The 308 meanwhile benefits from Roland Garros Luxury Blue/ Grey leather seats, 18” Dark Storm alloy wheels (as GT Hatchback), Peugeot Connect with Bluetooth, front and rear parking aid, automatic headlamps, rain sensing wipers, Roland Garros embroidered carpet mats and a Roland Garros branded windstop.

Pricing: The Peugeot 207cc Roland Garros is now available to order priced from £18,795. The larger, newer 308cc runs for £25,845.

Besides all the close-to-production concepts SEAT will be revealing at the Wörthersee event this year, they will also bring along two new track cars – the Leon Super Copa and the Ibiza SC Trophy. These cars are distinguished by a special grey paint finish and orange wheels, spoilers, and mirrors. You can buy these cars either for competition or just for track fun.

The Ibiza SC Trophy is based on the new generation of the car and features the same 180 PS 1.4 TSI engine as the Cupra, mated to a seven-speed DSG transmission. It does however gets a modified oil sump, a powerful brake system and racing suspension plus 18-inch wheels inside flared wheelarches. The interior is stripped-out and only features the necessary racing bits. The price for this car is a very reasonable 31,500 Euros.

The Leon Super Copa is the more serious offering, with 2.0-litre TSI engine from the Leon Cupra R that produces 300 PS and 340 Nm of torque travels through a six-speed DSG transmission and mechanically locking differential to the front wheels. This car is based on its WTCC version which is a full-on, and fairly successful, racing car. It is also much more expensive than the Ibiza, at 63,000 Euros.

SEAT has come up with a lineup of hot cars for this year’s Worthersee event. One of the most interesting cars at their booth will be this, the Ibiza Cupra Concept. This too is a near-production concept. It was first revealed at the Chinese auto show in Beijing and after the Austrian show it will begin its journey to become a production model and lead the Ibiza lineup.

Being a Cupra you’d expect this Ibiza to be really powerful, and indeed it is, even though it’ only got a 1.4 liter engine. It’s a TSI unit though, and makes 180 PS, which is good enough to make this little hatchback scamper around like a little puppy.

Visually, the car features a Spice Yellow paintwork garnished with gloss black accents and 17-inch alloy wheels, with red brake callipers. The Ibizia Cupra also get the signature trapezoidal lower air intake and LEd headlights to proudly showcase SEAT’s new design direction. Still full of emocion.

At the 2012 Wörthersee event in Austria SEAT will unveil a concept version of the its Mii city car – based on VW up! – tuned by their FR division. The FR SEATS are the hottest versions of the cars this Spanish manufacturer makes. They feature exclusive body styling and benefit from more power and sportier chassis as well.

In the case of Mii FR concept, the show car is finished in Tornado Red and features black highlights o its wheel arches and sill. It is also fitted with 16-inch aluminium wheels and a tiny little spoiler to make it looks sportier. Inside the red and black theme with sport seats, two tone upholstery, red dashboard accents and door trims and FR lettering.

This concept previews an upcoming production version. SEAT has not revealed any details about any performance upgrades though. It’s a pity if this FR only gets visual tweaks.

SEAT’s sister company Skoda also announced a rally concept version of the Citigo. We’re waiting to see what Volkswagen themselves have in store to the up!

For those who don’t like heavy modifications and body kits, Khan offers light packages designed just to refine the base a car a bit, making it feel better. This BMW X5 benefits from one of those packages. At first glance it looks pretty much stock, but look deeper and you notice the mesh grille, side steps and of course, Kahn Design RSL wheels.

The program is more thorough inside the cabin. Diamond quilted leather upholstery with white stitching, an Alcantara-wrapped steering wheel, and a new instrument cluster with red and white dials are among the enhancements made to the X5′s rather boring interior.

There’s no word yet on engine upgrades or exhaust systems, but Kahn likes step by step tuning. So in a couple of weeks we probably get another package. We’re quite keen to see what kind of body kit Kahn has designed for the big Bimmer.

A couple of weeks ago we’ve shown you the Lotus Ladies Cup, a very interesting competition where beautiful ladies race each other on 1.6 Lotus Elise cars. Well, we’ve contacted them and got the chance to get this Exclusive Interview with one of the racing drivers  -  Anett Kõváry (AK). Anett’s been very kind to answer all of our questions and provide us with a few photos, even from her private collection.

One thing is for sure, Anett’s got a few new fans in our editor’s team, we hope she can also get a few more among our readers.

Check out Anett’s interview after the jump.

Lotus Ladies Cup – Exclusive Interview with driver Anett Kõváry

MW – Anett, please give us some details on the Lotus Ladies Cup, how you had this idea and how long it took you to prepare the competition, in this case season 1.

AK – The Hungarian Lotus Ladies Cup is Adrienn Bende’s idea. Adrienn is a Hungarian Formula 1 reporter and a model as well. She thought it would be great to have a championship only for girls. The first season was very exciting because there were a lot of rookies, but also many experienced drivers. If I remember well we had two months to prepare ourselves, which means we have used the Hungaroring racing track twice or three times a week. My teachers were my team-mates in the Zengõ Motorsport (WTCC), Norbert Michelisz and Gábor Wéber. I’m glad to learn from them, they are fantastic drivers and great persons.

MW – Do you think being a support race for WTCC is necessary for the Lotus Ladies Cup to get the media attention it requires, or does the series has enough potential to be on its own, and race wherever it wants?

AK – I think that being a support race for WTCC is necessary for all series, and for us is especially important because most people think girls can’t drive; this way we can prove them wrong and maybe we can tempt other drivers too. For example, Tom Coronel’s girlfriend heard about the championship from me after seeing our race in the Hungaroring, and next weekend she will be racing with us. It’s fantastic, isn’t it? And in the Salzburgring our race will be a support event for WTCC again. We can say thanks for it to Mr. Tamas Frank, he was the one who asked Marcello Lotti about the Austrian race and everything went OK. Mr. Frank has a very good relationship with Mr. Lotti and Mr. Bernie Ecclestone, this due to the series that will run in the Hungarian Formula 1 GP and on the WSR weekend as well. We do have a turn in the Slovakia Ring too, so I think we are international at the moment.

MW – How did that spectacular crash (Kapócs Zsóka accident) felt like from your point of view?

AK – I felt a very huge hit on the right back of the car, and after that I saw Zsóka’s car flying above me. I thought I was having a dream. I can’t explain it because I kept mixed feelings about it, at the same time I know and I don’t know what happened. (I hope you understand what I want to say. ) It was in the first corner of the second lap, so my race was very short. I was sad because I wanted to run a good race.

MW – Do you expect to expand the competition in the future, like adding more tracks to it and more countries to the list?

AK – Absolutely! In the first season we were a support race for WTCC only in Hungary, but this year we can go with the WTCC to Salzburg as well. Last year there were only two countries in the race calendar (Hungary and Slovakia), but this year there are three countries on the list: Hungary, Slovakia and Austria.

MW – Is the competition between between female racing drivers as fierce as it is between male drivers?

AK – Of course! We are friends in the paddock but opponents on the track. Everybody wants to win and everybody does her best for it.

MW – Looking at the drivers pictures, we see that most look they’re out of a Victoria’s Secret catalog; is beauty a condition to be in?

AK – No, no… Look at my pictures! I’m not a beauty; I’m the ugliest girl in the field. I’m a little, thick girl with an absolutely average face. It’s just a strange coincidence that the beautiful Hungarian girls are fast.

MW – (we can’t really agree that Anett’s not beautiful, but well…) How did your Motorsport career begin in the first place, from being a news editor at Class FM radio station to a Lotus driver?

AK – First of all I’d like to state that I don’t think I’m a driver. To be a professional driver you need 5-10 years in the motorsport field. For me it’s just a hobby, my main job is still at Class FM radio. The first thing in my life is the news, but after it it’s sitting in the car racing. To be better on the track I need learn soooooooo much , still, the WTCC has became my passion! I go out with my team (Zengõ Motorsport) almost every race, and I do videos about the events. I like every team in this series, and all drivers are very-very nice! And a brand new thing in my life: I tried myself as a commentator in the Hungarian EuroSport. I did it on the WTCC Marracesh and it was amazing! I really enjoyed it.

MW – What’s it like being a female racing driver anyway?

AK – Hehe… It’s cool of course. To see girls in racing clothes is very exciting for boys.

MW – (we have to agree with this last answer here) Having finished 9th in 2011 season, what’s your ambition for 2012?

AK – I know that I’m not too fast. Someone told me I’m talented, but too careful. And you know, I wake up every morning at 3.30 because I start my work in the radio between 4.30 and 5am, so I’m more tired than the others. That’s why my ambition for the current season is only to enjoy the races and maybe finished 8^th.

MW – Did you meet Bernie Ecclestone when he showed up to hand over trophies?

AK – Nope. Unfortunately I wasn’t on the podium at that time.

MW – What’s your favorite race track (besides Hungaroring)?

AK – The Pannónia Ring, which is near the Hungarian city of Sárvár. It’s a very technical track with 18 turns. I like it very much; I had my favorite weekend there last year.

MW – What’s your favorite car?

AK – Where? In the streets? I have a Volvo C30. I like Volvo because it’s elegant and cool and very safe. In the WTCC the BMW is my favorite, because it has results without factory support. It’s good looking, cool and well developed. It’s like a fortress. In the Formula 1 I like Mercedes… because of Michael Schumacher.

MW – Who’s your favorite driver?

AK – Ohhhh, I hate this question because I can’t stop speaking about my favorites. In the WTCC my favorite is Norbert Michelisz, because he is a real Hungarian hero. And Gábor Wéber, because he is a real fighter. Tom Coronel is one of my favorites, because he can overtake in impossible situations. And of course Tiago Monteiro, who never gives up. And Pepe Oriola, a very-very young driver, only 17 years old, but a very fast driver! That’s only the WTCC? Sorry… I told you I can’t stop… In the Formula 1 my absolute favorite is Michael Schumacher. He is intelligent, maximalist, professional, and aggressive when he needs, he’s also the most handsome driver I’ve ever seen. I like Jenson Button as well, because he is a very elegant competitor. And the other favorite in this series is Kimi Raikkönen, ‘cause no one gives an interview as he does. He is the funniest character in the F1. In the Lotus Ladies Cup my favorite driver is Edina Bús, champion of the last year. She is a real driver, the best on the track. And Dr. Ágnes Bánki, who has four children!!! She is a hero I think.

MW – (we also like our fellow mate Tiago Monteiro, I wonder if Anett knew I’m from Portugal) Do you have any story or some final words you’d like to share with Motorward.com readers?

AK – It’s so nice to give an interview for the journalists of Motorward! If you like, come to Hungary for our race and cross your fingers for the “Fighter Princess” – that’s me.

And in the WTCC please support the small Hungarian team “Zengõ Motorsport” and their drivers, Michelisz and Wéber.

MW – Anett, thank you very much once again. Your interview was great! Thanks for the photos, for your time and for being so nice to us! Good luck for your next race, we’ll be supporting you, that’s for sure!

We leave you now with a few videos of Anett Kováry and a short biography of herself.

Anett’s Videos

Anett’s best start, last year in the WSR @ Hungaroring. Started from P9 and in the first corner she was 5th!  (I’m a very good starter!! – Anett says )

One of Anett’s first videos @ the WTCC – it’s like a “behind the scenes” from Monza

Anett’s video when Michelisz won his first pole position this year in Slovakia

About Anett Kõváry (Biography)

Personal Data

Name: Anett Kõváry

Birth Date: 25. 02. 82.

City/Country: Budapest/Hungary

Profession: Journalist/Editor @ Class FM Radio

Favorites

Music: Linkin Park, Bon Jovi

Actors: Jude Law, Al Pacino

Food: Steak underdone

Drink: White wine and whiskey

Photo Credits: Observer, Attila Gyuru/Zengõ Motorsport, Tamas Sandor, János Bányik, Pál Nánási, Attila László, Péter Pataky, and Anett Kõváry

SLP Camaros have always been among the sickest versions of the car out there and this new one is no exception. Called the Panther 600, this Chevrolet Camaro features an all-black exterior, and it can be had with either 560-, 585- and 600-hp, or if you are nuts with 700 hp. The most powerful version is limited to 45 units, and the rest to 100.

The Panther is based on the Camaro SS, but the 6.2 liter V8 is fitted with a Magna Charge TVS 2300 supercharger, SLP Blackwing cold-air system, as well as Loud Mouth II exhaust system. The upgrades are not limited to the engine though.

Performance-wise, the 600 does 0 to 60 mph in 3.5 seconds which is pretty impressive for a Camaro.

The tuner also offers uprated adjustable suspension or if you want to spend more, coilovers. Visually, SLP relies on the paint job and graphics on the hood and truck to enhance the looks. You also get a fixed rear spoiler, side-gill inserts, and Panther-logo mats and headrests.

via: Autoweek

Mansory’s package for the Ferrari 458 Spider has great ingredients; lots of power, lots of carbon fiber, even a cool name – Monaco Edition. But put them together, and the end result – as is the case with most Mansory cars – is not completely loveable. Some may even call it hideous. It is pretty unique though.

The designers got their inspirations from the Enzo and tried to facelift the baby Fezza in a way for it to look like the daddy. Not sure what was the problem with the 458′s own styling. In addition to the nose job, the car gets a carbon aero kit consisting of front spoiler lip, extra wiglets, air vents, side skirts, and a great looking rear diffuser with new tailpipes right in the middle of it.

A set of 21 inch forged wheels wrapped in Michelin PS2 tyres and finished in black, as well as 20mm lower suspension are also provided, contributing to both the looks and dynamics of the car.

For the engine Mansory offers a mild upgrade through the use of sport air filters, new exhausts and ECU mapping, up to 590 hp and 560 Nm of torque. Using that power you can go from 0 to 100 km/h in 3.2 seconds and reach 330 km/h.

The interior is as unique as the exterior. Special leather and Alcantara upholstery, with red and white accents as well as carbon fiber trims, and Mansory floor mats create a one of a kind cabin for the 458.

Mansory will only make 3 units of the Monaco Edition.

The latest exotica to be added to Wheelsandmore catalog is the gorgeous Alfa Romeo 8C Competizione. The rare super car is out of production now, and it’s not likely that the owners are already bored with it. But if they ever felt the 8C needs a makeover, WAM is ready to present them with this, a package to enhance the power and the looks.

In terms of styling, you have to cut Wheelsandmore some slack. It’s not an easy job improving on perfection, and that’s why they decided not to mess with the Alfa’s beautiful lines. They have however used a coilover suspension that drops the car, sort of slams it on those black 6Sporz² ultra 21-inch wheels.

The wheels and the suspension are nice, that stripe isn’t. It’s just completely pointless.

To give the Alfa a little more go juice, Wheelsandmore has fitted its V8 with a new stainless steel exhaust system and remapped its ECU, so the power goes up from the standard 450 hp to 485 hp, and from 470 Nm to 520 Nm of torque. Those exhaust also have valves and stuff in them which give the car a much nicer soundtrack as well.

German design Studio Atelier Valdeig teamed up with Armortech Motors for a project to create an exclusive, ultra-luxury SUV concept. As is the case with such projects, they don’t start from scratch, they begin with a production car. The donor for this SUV – called the Tresor – is Audi Q7 V12 TDI, and its design is inspired, rather heavily, by Bentley.

So maybe it’s a message to Bentley that they should have made something like this instead of that EXP 9 F rubbish. The Tresor gets a Continental GT-like front and rear design, and Rolls Royce-like suicide doors. Based on what Valdieg is proposing, the interior design comes directly from the Conti GT as well.

It is not a looker though. The problem is, stuff like big chrome grille and suicide doors are for the ultra-luxury cars and they don’t mix with sporty details like flared wheel arches and ridiculously big wheels.

As for the powertrain, Armortech & Atelier Valdeig didn’t even bother going for a bespoke setup. They just went for the engine that’s supplied with the Q7 V12. It’s a good engine though, a 500 PD diesel with over a 1000 Nm of torque.

Japan is planning a major assault on the lovely village of Nürburg in Germany this weekend. The weapons they’re using include one Lexus LFA and four Toyota GT86 racing cars. What they’re after is a place on podium at the Nurburgring 24 hours race. The LFA as well as two of the GT86s are fielded by Gazoo Racing, while the other two GT86 production cars are entered by Toyota Swiss Racing Team.

The LFA is no stranger to the ‘Ring, as it’s been racing there long before it even becomes a real produciton car. It will fight this years in the SP8 Class. The new boy GT86 is set for competing in the SP3 class.

Toyota decided that all the technicians and drivers for the teams should be Toyota employees from Japan. They want the people who actually design and engineer these cars to be directly involved in the sport, so they can use the experience in developing future cars. Great thinking.

Both the LFA and the GT86 has been warming up for the big race. Earlier this year they took part in two shorter-distance races at the Nurburgring, in which the LFA was twice a winner in its class and the GT86 showed promising progress.

Speaking after the most recent race, Gazoo Racing driver Akira Iida said: “The momentum of our team is very good. Our target for the 24 Hours Nürburgring race is to maintain a steady pace, in line with the way we have chosen to set up the vehicles.  Nevertheless, we have run at good speed and confident we will be full ready before the 24-hour event.”

BMW tuner G Power has big plans for the new M5 F10, but they just took a break from working on that car for a celebration. The cause if delivery of the 100th M5 E60 Hurricane. G Power Hurricane M5s, as you know, are among the fastest sedans in the world and have many official records in the bag. It is a very remarkable milestone for the tuning company.

The celebratory model is based on the Hurricane RR, but instead of 800 hp, it gets 830 hp. The car’s designated codename is RRs. This baby blue M5 is powered by a deeply modified version of the glorious V10 engine, equipped with the  BI-Kompressor system featuring two ASA T1-313 superchargers.

The power output is truly astonishing: 830 hp and 780 Nm of torque. But the really astonishing bit is the top speed which is 372 km/h. This is what Hurricane are all about, after all.

Other changes include a G-Power SPEEDFLOW exhaust system with two racing catalysts, coilover suspension system adjustable for both compression and rebound in nine settings and the high-performance G-POWER brake system with up to six brake pistons and up to 396 mm brake disc diameter for the front axle and 380 mm for the rear axle. Add to that 20-inch G-POWER SILVERSTONE DIAMOND wheel set with MICHELIN Pilot Super Sport tyres.

So, will the Hurricane RR version of the F10 M5 break the 400 km/h record?

Bored with the quarter mile challenges, Mark Heidaker took his ridiculously painted, Hennessey-powered Ford GT to the Houston Half Mile Shootout. Standing Half a mile seems much more fun to us, as the car can reach incredible speeds. And that is exactly what this GT did. Driven by Sean Kennedy, the car clocked a mind-boggling 212.9 mph. Kudos to Hennessey for the job they’ve done on the GT’s engine. That supercharged V8 might belong to the Lightning pickup truck, but boy is it meaty!

GT1000 Twin Turbo / Supercharged Upgrade Includes:

• • Twin 67 mm Ball Bearing Turbos
• • Stainless Steel Turbo Exhaust
• • Stainless Steel Turbo Down Pipes
• • Billet Throttle Body Upgrade
• • Twin Wastegates
• • Fuel System Upgrade
• • Upgraded Mass Air Sensor
• • Polished Turbo Inlet & Intake Pipes
• • HPE Engine Management Calibration
• • All Necessary Gaskets, Fluid & Hardware
• • Professional Installation
• • Chassis Dyno Tuning & Testing
• • Road Tuning & Testing
• • Hennessey GT1000 Exterior Badging
• • Serial Numbered Dash & Engine Plaques
• • 1 yr / 12,000 Mile Limited Warranty

Performance:

• • 0 – 60 mph: 2.8 sec.
• • 1/4 mile: 10.6 sec. @ 142 mph
• • Top Speed: 245 mph

Granted, as far as family sedans go, Ford Taurus is not the best there is. But there’s no denying the car is blessed with that warm fuzzy feeling all Ford cars have, especially in SHO guise. Fitted with the SHO Performance Package, the Taurus becomes two cars in one. On one hand, it’s a large, dignified saloon to go to your meeting in or take the kids to school, and on the other it’s a road-ripping mentalist.

That is the subject of this new promo video Ford has released for the car.

They take the car to Grattan Raceway in Belding, Mich. and put it in action to showcase what a revised chassis and sport suspension can do with the car’s personality and behavior. And with 370 hp at the disposal of your right foot, you can make this big Yank dance if you want.

The SHO Performance Package includes:

• Package-specific sport-tuned suspension with unique dampers and springs
• Performance brake pads and unique track-tuned calipers
• Recalibrated EPAS
• Electronic Stability Control track mode with true off
• 3.16 to 1 final drive ratio for enhanced off-the-line acceleration
• Enhanced extreme-duty cooling system
• 20-inch machined and painted wheels
• 245/YR20 performance summer-compound tires

With only a few weeks remaining until the launch of the Scion FR-S in America, the marketing department gets busy with commercials. They’re not messing around. In this first ad, titled ‘Sport Is Back,’ they get right down to the business showing the car in some serious action. This is what the new Japanese sports car is all about; the joys of aggressive driving on great back roads. The sideways stuff are a bit exaggerated though.

Apart from the badge, the FR-S is the same as the BRZ and GT86 – its siblings from Subaru and Toyota. It gets the same looks, the same sort of options, and the same 200 hp (170 whp) which as we’ve said time and again, is not really enough for a proper rear-drive sports car.

The FR-S will probably drive a lot of people out of their Kia Koups and Honda Civics, but it’s not likely to mess with the market of Genesis Coupe 2.0 T.

The Japanese are adamant the future of personal mobility is an electric chair. Honda just announced a new one of these wheelchairs called UNI-CUB, an evolution of the 2009 U3-X. Alright, so this thing’s way more than just a wheelchair. It features Honda’s own omni-directional driving wheel system that allows you change direction simply by shifting your weight. Clever stuff.

The rider sits upright on a comfortable saddle and can move forward, backward, side-to-side and diagonally, thus controlling the direction of travel. When the rider is using weight shift control, UNI-CUB’s incline sensor detects the direction in which the rider is leaning, allowing UNI-CUB to calculate the direction and speed intended by the rider. And touch panel control via smartphone and other devices is another convenient control option.

The balance control technology of UNI-CUB is part of the Honda Robotics family of technologies, same they use for the ASIMO humanoid robot. It all feels like something out of a futuristic movie imagining people moving around on this weird things.

This technology still needs a lot of work, of course, as it has some obvious flaws. For instance, it can only be used in barrier-free indoor environments, and it can’t be used by fat people!

Still, Honda believes this is the future of personal mobility. They will conduct demonstration testing of the vehicle later this year, starting with Japan’s National Museum of Emerging Science and Innovation.

Key specifications of UNI-CUB

BMW is the official automotive partner of London 2012 Olympics. They supply the organizers with cars and in return get lots of good publicity out of the games. They just came up with a cool one, a drag race between a  BMW 320d EfficientDynamics – which is part of the Olympic fleet – and a sprinter – Olympic gold medallist Mark Lewis-Francis.

To introduce some science to the party, they also brought along Professor Greg Whyte to monitor and investigate the world-class athlete’s performance. In the first 4 seconds of the race, and for the first 20m, surprisingly it’s the runner who’s ahead. After that of course the torque of the BMW kicks in and it goes past.

Mark Lewis Francis won an Olympic gold medal at Athens 2004 in the 4 x 100m relay. He’s a pretty fast guy. The BMW meanwhile is one of the cleanest sedans in the market – at 68.9mpg fuel consumption and just 109g/km CO₂ emissions – and also one of the slowest with a 0 to 60 mph time of 8.0 seconds.

In order to determine the acceleration and measure the efficient conversion of energy to force of both Mark and the BMW, Prof Whyte examined similar principles and measures to BMW’s vehicle engineers. Prof Whyte explains:

Reaction Time

“As a professional athlete Mark is adept at sprinting from a starting gun and we are able to measure his reaction time from the moment the gun sounds to the point he explodes from the blocks. Along with other factors, it is how efficiently he is able to relay that response which allows him to pull away. Equally for the BMW – whilst the vehicle can make available the maximum propelling force limited only through the traction of the tyres – the reaction time of the driver is critical along with his ability to appropriately apportion the accelerator and clutch to achieve optimum wheel slip. To achieve this, the traction control must be switched off.”

Acceleration

“In measuring the rate of acceleration we looked at three particular aspects; the time it took for Mark and the BMW to travel their particular distances, the starting velocity of Mark and the BMW, and also the finishing velocity. Given the greater power to weight ratio that Mark has, he is able to accelerate very rapidly over short distances. This, together with resistance against the starting blocks enables him to achieve a starting acceleration of over 1G making him quicker than the BMW for just under 30 metres, until the point when then the sustained acceleration of the car consumes his head start.”

	BMW 320d EfficientDynamics [Manual] [sec]*	Mark Lewis-Francis [sec]
0-5m	1.5	1.333
0-10m	2.3	1.990
0-20m	3.3	3.137
0-30m	4.0	4.121
0-100m	7.5	10.04

*Data from test results in Munich

Hot on the heels of unveiling the new M-badged M135i, BMW introduces another high performance 1-Series, this time based o the old 1er. The 2013 135is continues the tradition of “s” models, which save the M version are the most powerful member of each series. The new 135is packs 320 hp, only about 30 hp less than the much-loved BMW 1M Coupe.

Both the coupe and convertible 135is are powered by the renowned N55 TwinPower Turbo 3.0-liter inline-6 engine. It is tuned at 320 hp and 317 lb-ft of torque (+ 20hp and 17 lb-ft over the 135i), but offers the same mpg as its non-s brother. Also i the ‘s’ the engine cooling system has been upgraded to match the additional performance.

Transmission-wise, you can have the cars with either a standard 6-Speed manual transmission or an optional 7-Speed Double Clutch Transmission.

Sport suspension, high-end systems like Dynamic Stability Control (DSC) and Dynamic Traction Control (DTC), better brakes, 18-inch wheels… this car has got the lot. Just about the only thing it lacks compared to the full-fat 1M is the bespoke M differential.

The looks are different as well. The 135is looks pretty much standard, save a few details like M-sport bumpers, bigger wheels, and dual exhaust pipe. Interior highlights include stainless steel pedals, special interior badges and optional black leather seats with blue stitching for the standard sport seats.

So if you couldn’t get your hands on a BMW 1M, this thing seems to be the perfect replacement, especially as it’s cheaper. The 135is goes on sale in America this autumn starting from USD44,145 for the coupe and USD48,845 for the convertible.

Skoda chose VW fans biggest annual gathering at Lake Worthersee to unveil their new concept cars. In tune with the theme of the Worthersee event, Skoda brings a rally concept version of the VW up-based Citigo. It will be joined by the Skoda Citigo DJ Car along with an international top DJ. Given the nature of the event and the sort of people who turn up every year, it’s going to be a sick party!

The rally concept Citigo is a showcase of what’s possible when you have a cleverly engineered package. The tiny car is fitted with a massive front bumper with large air intakes, which joins with the flared wheelarches that are linked together with the new side skirts. The concept also gets a roof scoop and a rear spoiler, as well as a centrally positioned exhaust end pipe and 18-inch wheels.

As for the DJ car, it’s a normal Citigo with widened rear-end behind the ‘B’ pillars to create an open stage for the DJ inside the car. It is equipped with a kicking  100,000 Watt strong sound system to keep Worthersee visitors amused.

A team of journalists and Czech celebrities in special Skoda models will drive from Prague to the foothills of the Austrian Alps. They are also chronicling the journey on their Facebook page.