New Rolls Royce Wraith on the road (video)

The new Rolls Royce Wraith hits the road The new Rolls Royce Wraith – revealed at the Geneva Motor Show in March – is Rolls Royce’s answer to the sport credentials of Bentley, and it’s a convincing effort. Essentially a Ghost Coupe, the Wraith’s styling is, perhaps, a little jarring with its almost dog humping back end, but from some angles it also looks remarkably elegant for a two door coupe that’s the size of a delivery truck. But the key to the Wraith’s appeal – apart from the sumptuous fixtures and fittings – is its dynamism and power, with 624bhp on tap from its v12 (and an earth-turning 590lb/ft of torque too) enough to shift the Wraith to 60mph in a very un-Rolls Royce 4.4 seconds.

Petrolhead spiders cause Mazda recall

Mazda has had to recall 42,000 vehicles in the US after it emerged that a species of spider had been weaving webs in fuel vent hoses, increasing the risk of fuel leaks and fires. The yellow sac spider’s curious domestic activities cause a build-up of pressure in the evaporative fuel vent that – in theory at least – could result in a cracked fuel tank and therefore an increased risk of fire. This isn’t the first time that the Mazda 6 has received the unwanted advances of a gas-guzzling arachnid, either – three years ago Mazda had to recall over 50,000 cars for precisely the same reason.

Celebrating the Bugatti clan at the Mullin Museum

Legend holds that Ettore Bugatti was at dinner with some of his wealthiest clients when an aristocratic lady -- who already owned numerous Bugattis -- lamented, "I want to buy another Bugatti…but I want the most luxurious car in the world. Too bad I have to buy a Rolls-Royce or a Hispano-Suiza." Ettore nodded politely, in that insouciant way that temperamental geniuses do in order to distance their own reactions, excused himself after dinner, ran to his hotel room, and drew what would become the Type 41 Royale -- the most astonishing, dramatic, expensive luxury car in the world. True to the name of the recent crop of limited-edition Veyron SuperSports (and what Veyron isn't a limited edition?), Bugatti traffics in legend.