* Super Excelsior Motorcycle "instructions For The Care And Operation" on 2040-parts.com

PM opens Williams F1’s new Advanced Engineering Centre

Prime minister David Cameron has today opened Williams Racing’s new £8 million Advanced Engineering Centre in Grove, Oxford. The new facility will help transfer Williams’ four decades of title-winning F1 expertise into the world of road cars – and the PM has challenged the engineers working there to continue helping Britain compete on the world stage by developing new business opportunities. On Bing: see pictures of Williams F1 cars Nismo Williams!

One Lap of the Web: Bugatti state of mind

-- Last week, we looked at the new Bugatti exhibit at the Mullin Museum, which taught us more about Bugatti in an afternoon than the last three years of idly flipping through Pebble Beach programs. Having thus immersed ourselves in the House That Ettore Built, we'd really like to drive to work in a faithful Type 35 replica by the aptly named Pur Sang, which Mark Dixon of Octane drove for his 140-mile commute. "You need to keep the revs up while the engine clears its throat and warms its plugs," he writes.

Ford debuts another Australian hot rod

Ford's Australian-based Performance Vehicles operation has unveiled its fastest car to date—the Falcon-based FPV GT R-spec. To be assembled at Ford Performance Vehicle's headquarters on the outskirts of Melbourne, the rear-wheel drive GT R-spec packs the same engine as the earlier GT335, a supercharged 5.0-liter V8 producing 449 hp and 420 lb-ft of torque. But, a range of chassis modifications, including a retuned suspension, wider 19-inch rear wheels and tires and new launch control system are claimed to provide the greater off-the-line speed than any previous model from Ford's Australian outpost.