Rally Ace Beats Own Isle Of Man Lap Record

SUBARU’S WRX STI has once again broken the four-wheeled lap record around the famous Isle of Man TT circuit, with British rally champion Mark Higgins setting a new record of 19 minutes 26 seconds in a production version of the firm’s newly launched high-performance saloon. Higgins’s lap around the challenging 37.8-mile TT Mountain course saw him post an average speed of 116mph and a top speed of over 160mph. Manxman Higgins completed his timed run under closed road conditions as part of the TT schedule and beat his previous record, set in 2011, when he set a time of 19 minutes 56.7 seconds at the wheel of the previous-generation WRX STI, breaking a record that had stood for 21 years.

Porsche 911 Carrera 4 GTS: Another ‘Final’ 911 arrives

Porsche 911 Carrera 4 GTS - now you can have your GTS with 4WD It’s never been easy to pick a 911 to buy. Despite all 911s looking much the same to all but the Porsche nutter, there’s a choice of at least a hundred different models (well, it feels like it when you try to decide), from the pure 911 Carrera 2 on up to the Turbo Cab and all the bonkers ‘Track’ 911s – the GT this and the RS that. And now, just to confuse things even more – and to extract a few more sales before the 997 version of the 911 joins the list of 911s that once were – we get the Porsche 911 Carrera 4 GTS.

Mazda BT-50 pick-up truck (2010) news, photos

Mazda is unveiling its new Mazda BT-50 pick-up at the 2010 Australian International Motor Show this week. As befits a car launched in Oz, the new BT-50 is a lifestyle pick-up or ute aimed as much at the leisure market as brickies.   Previously, Mazda had only issued the design sketch above, but today the company issued the first official pictures of its new truck. There's been a gaping hole in Mazda's UK line-up this year as the previous model was on run-out; the BT-50 used to sell in reasonable numbers, but waning sales and shifting tax systems have made the pick-up market shrink and Mazda only sells a few hundred here in a typical year.That's why there are no plans to launch the new BT-50 in the UK – despite it being homologated for Europe.These first official photos show the new BT-50 offers an interpretation of Mazda's family face with the sweeping five-pointed grille and sweptback headlamps.