France mandates that drivers carry Breathalyzer-like test kits

As Orson Welles reminds us above, French champagne has always been celebrated for its excellence. And fermented grape products are as indelible a signifier of Gallic culture as fine cheese, very fast trains and the hydropneumatic suspension. But the enjoyment of a tipple involves responsibility, something that alcohol consumption isn't always conducive to.

Land Rover testing electric Defender 110 pickup

Land Rover has begun testing an electric version of the Land Rover Defender first shown at the 2012 Geneva motor show. The electric Defender prototype is in service at the Eden Project in Cornwall, U.K., a complex of several large transparent domes that house multiple artificially maintained environments containing thousands of rare plants, and is a popular visitor attraction. At the moment the electric Defender isn't exactly tearing through the Amazon rainforest, but the work it's doing is nevertheless a good approximation of how quite a lot of Defenders are used in real life -- at least in terms of speed and duration of use.

Maserati at the Paris motor show 2008

By Ben Barry Motor Shows 03 October 2008 09:17 Visitors to the Maserati stand at Paris were treated to Modena’s familiar but still nonetheless alluring two-car range with a trio of Quattroportes and a pair of Granturismos, the newest versions being the Granturismo S and the Quattroporte S. The Granturismo S makes this four-seat GT an altogether more hardcore proposition. A 4.7-litre V8 replaces the standard car’s 4.2; the ZF torque converter auto makes way for a six-speed automated manual shared with the Ferrari Scuderia; plus there’s a subtle aero kit, bigger brakes along with interior embellishments.