1951 Pontiac Dash on 2040-parts.com

Fifth Gear Tonight: Pagani Huayra, Bowler EXR, Porsche 911 Cab vs Audi R8 Spyder

The 2nd episode of the new series of Fifth Gear is on tonight with Plato in the Pagani Huayra, Vicky B-H in the Bowler EXR & Tiff with the Audi R8 Spyder & Porsche 911 Cabriolet. Last week we ran a preview of the first episode of the new series of Fifth Gear, and as that was widely read you obviously appreciated the heads-up. So rinse and repeat is the order of the day with news of the second episode of Fifth Gear tonight.

Mercedes SLK55 AMG (2011) at the Frankfurt motor show

This is Merc's hot rod drop-top, the SLK55 AMG. It's the most powerful SLK of all time, because under that bonnet and behind that three-pointed star is a new 5.5-litre V8 producing 416bhp. So the badge finally corresponds to the engine size?

Better Place Electric Car visitor centre opens

Better Place have opened a visitor centre in Israel to demonstrate their battery swap technology for electric cars Last October we wrote about a start-up company in Israel – Better Place – that had a new way forward for electric cars by taking the purchase of battery packs out of the equation, and was developing a system for ‘Battery Swap’ stations where electric car owners could drive in and swap their battery pack for a fully-charged one in a few minutes. That story first brought to our attention our favourite quote of last year – by Nissan boss Carlos Ghosn – who said “A hybrid is like a mermaid: if you want a fish, you get a woman; if you want a woman, you get a fish.” Which probably explained why Nissan – and its partner Renault – got involved with Better Place. Better Place aims to address the main concerns of electric car drivers by making the battery packs in electric cars ‘swappable’.