MINI Countryman Cooper S Diesel spied

The MINI Countryman Cooper S Diesel The prospect of a more powerful diesel for MINI has been around for a while. In fact it’s almost exactly a year since we brought you a spy photo of the MINI Cooper S Diesel which we reckoned would sport somewhere around 140bhp and a useful wodge of torque. Fast forward to August this year and we heard that MINI were taking the MINI Cooper S Diesel to the Paris Motor Show.

Barrett-Jackson to auction commemorative Z06 Corvette for museum fundraiser

In honor of the Chevrolet Corvette's inaugural appearance and victory at the 24 Hours of Le Mans some 50 years ago, Chevrolet built a special 2011 Corvette Z06 wearing the same paint scheme--Arctic White paint, blue stripes and the number "3"--to pay tribute to the class-winning 1960 Cunningham Corvette. Chevrolet and the General Motors Design Center built and added several special one-off features for this car, which has vehicle identification number 001: -- Competition Gray headlamps, mirrors and wheels -- Special 50th-anniversary of Le Mans racing logos -- Blue brake calipers -- Z07 performance package with Brembo carbon-ceramic brakes -- 19-inch front/20-inch rear 20-spoke Competition Gray wheels with Michelin PS2 tires -- Magnetic Selective Ride Control -- Black carbon-fiber front splitter and rockers -- ZR1-style rear spoiler -- Ebony leather-wrapped interior with Competition Gray trim -- Carbon-fiber fenders and floor panels Corvette Racing fans will recognize the special-edition Z06 as a participant in the Legends of Le Mans event at Laguna Seca in 2010. Driven by Corvette Racing legend Ron Fellows, the Z06 was accompanied by the 1960 Cunningham, the 1967 Bondurant/Guldstrand, the 1973 BF Goodrich and the C6.R GT2 Corvettes for a parade lap on the track.

Opel/Vauxhall Astra GTC

Opel/Vauxhall has revealed pictures of the forthcoming Astra GTC ahead of its official unveiling at the Goodwood Festival of Speed. Virtually unchanged from the GTC Paris concept of last year, the Astra GTC will go head to head with the Volkswagen Scirocco and Renault’s Megane Coupe. The third body style to enter the Astra family, the GTC shares only the door handles and roof aerial with its siblings.