The return of the Real MINI

The MINI Concept - heralding the revival of the Isetta and Topolino marques [ad#ad-1] Back in January, we speculated on the return of the Topolino and Isetta marques in a joint venture by BMW and Fiat to launch a range of super-eco city cars to rival those that manufacturers like VW and Mercedes are developing. And according to Auto Express those plans are getting close to being realised. This is a bold move by BMW and Fiat to gain ground over their rivals with models that offer extreme economy, but sport a legendary moniker to give the models added kudos.

Dimbleby’s Citroen DS for sale

DAVID DIMBLEBY'S 1972 Citroen DS21 is up for sale and expected to fetch £20,000 when it’s auction off. Finished in metallic grey paint, the iconic French saloon has been owned by Dimbleby since he discovered it underneath railway arches in Battersea, London. The car was being restored by a specialist there and Dimbleby fell in love with the car.

How safe are new minicars?

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) recently tested a total of 11 minicars in its relatively new small-overlap crash test, and the Chevrolet Spark was the only one to earn an Acceptable rating. The small-overlap crash test was instituted in 2012 with the goal of better replicating real-life car crashes, most of which don't follow the pattern of traditional government crash tests. Instead of a car hitting a stationary object with 100 percent of its front making contact, the small-overlap test examines how a car behaves in a frontal impact at 40 mph where only a quarter of the car's front hits an object.