1955 Cadillac Eldorado Sabre Wheel on 2040-parts.com

New Ford Kuga (2012) to debut at Los Angeles Motor Show

2012 Ford Kuga / Escape to debut at Los Angeles 2011 - based on the Vertrek Concept (above) Yes, strictly speaking the debut of the new Ford Kuga at the Los Angeles Motor Show in November is actually for the 2013 Ford Escape. But in the new ‘One World’ of Ford the new Escape – based on the Ford Vertrek Concept from this year’s Detroit Motor Show – will, with just a few changes, become Europe’s new Ford Kuga. What makes it even more certain that the Escape is much the same as the Kuga will be is news on the engines.

BMW to offer rear-wheel drive X3 SUV

Most BMW X3s spend a negligible amount of time off road - apart from crunching across Middle England's gravel driveways - so BMW has seen fit to release a version that ditches the all-paw capacity and reverts to classic rear-wheel drive. While it's still going to be some way from a classic rear-drive Ultimate Driving Machine, the X3 sDrive18d is the cheapest and most economical way into X3 ownership. You'll be able to get your hands on one from £28,580 when it arrives in the UK in the autumn of 2012.

Modified Mercedes turned to gold

GERMAN tuning firms are known for occasionally crossing the barriers of taste, but this latest offering from Carlsson appears to have gone into new territory. Called the CS50 Versailles – after the Palace of Versailles that King Louis XIV turned into a opulent chateau – it’s based on the latest generation Mercedes-Benz S-Class, which is hardly a car short on luxury. But that hasn’t stopped Carlsson turning it into an automotive homage to gold.