Lotus appoints Swizz Beatz as Vice President of Creative Design and Global Marketing

We've become accustomed to surprising and – at times – bizarre news stories emerging from Lotus since Danny Behar became CEO. But judging from reaction in the world of social media this afternoon, even by Lotus's recent standards, the news that it has appointed American rapper Swizz Beatz as its vice president of Creative Design and Global Marketing, came as something of a surprise. Kasseem Daoud Dean, otherwise known as Swizz Beatz, has a broad creative background, having a portfolio that includes music producer, rapper, designer and painter.

Startech unveils tuned Range Rover Sport

German tuner Startech has just unveiled their tuning program for the 2014 Range Rover Sport and picked the 2013 Essen Motor Show -- Europe's equivalent of SEMA -- as the debut venue. Startech has been in the Land Rover and Jaguar tuning business for over a decade, though their products are not that well known this side of the Atlantic. But the growing variety and popularity of Range Rover vehicles on this side of the pond just might change that.

Ferrari 599XX sets Nurburgring record. Really? +video

The Ferrari 599XX sets a Nurburgring record - video below We’ve brought you a number of ‘Nurburgring Record’ stories over the last year. It’s a big deal for car makers and adds kudos to their offerings. So it’s no surprise to see Ferrari pitching their hat in to the ring with the claim of a new Nurburgring record for the Ferrari 599XX.