2001-2003 Polaris 500 Classic Touring Gates G-force Belt Drive Xt on 2040-parts.com

70% of premium brand cars stolen are taken with the car’s own keys

High-end SUVs – like the new Range Rover (pictured) are a prime target for car key thieves There was once a time when all it took to steal a car was a wire coathanger and the ability to hotwire the ignition. But as car makers have got better at securing the second most expensive asset most of us will ever own, car thieves have had to look for a different approach, and that approach is increasingly to relieve owners of the keys to their pride and joy. Cobra – the vehicle tracking firm – are reporting that a massive 70 per cent of all premium brand cars stolen in 2014 – with an average value of £40k, up £6k on 2012 – are being parted from their owners using that owners keys.

This 108-year-old Mercedes Simplex could sell for £900k

‘Old Mercedes up for auction’ doesn’t quite do this magnificent automobile justice. It’s a 1905 Mercedes Simplex 28/32 Phaeton, and one of the oldest Mercedes still in existence. But this car does not merely exist – it is resplendent as a stunning example of the very best the Edwardian era of motoring had to offer.

Elemental RP1 sports car (2014): first pictures of Britain’s newest track car

By Jonny Edge First Official Pictures 23 June 2014 15:58 The frighteningly lightweight Elemental RP1 emerged fully for the first time today, ahead of its public debut at this week’s Goodwood Festival of Speed 2014. At its heart, the 450kg RP1 has a unique carbon-composite tub based on the designs of contemporary race cars. The driver will sit 'feet up', allowing for greater underfloor downforce, which goes some way to explaining how the car achieves a quoted 200kg of downforce at 100mph.