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Chevrolet Volt visits the wind tunnel

By Ben Whitworth First Official Pictures 13 December 2007 10:00 Back in January the Volt was easily the surprise of this year’s Detroit motor show. Chevrolet reckoned its radical electric four-seater was such a breakthrough that it would transform the way we drive when it arrived in showrooms by the end of the decade. And it’s just announced that the production model will be significantly more efficient at scything through the air: the Volt has been sent to GM’s wind tunnel where Chevrolet’s aerodynamicists has smoothed off some of its blunt surfaces to create a shape that is 30 percent more effective at cutting cleanly through the air at speed than the original concept.

BMW M3 GTS (2010) unveiled: a new M3 CSL first official pictures

BMW might not be producing an M3 CSL, but this is something much better. Called the M3 GTS it’s a stripped-out 450bhp road-racer designed to take on the Porsche 911 GT3 RS. It’s a response to those that thought M Division might have lost its way: 'The BMW M3 GTS which we are currently preparing in our BMW M production workshop is a response to frequently expressed customer wishes', said M Division’s CEO Dr Kay Segler at the unveiling.

Driven: BMW Z4

Loved as it may be by its loyal fanbase, the outgoing Z4 was always something of a mixed bag in terms of design. While the car's classic long-bonnet, cab-back profile and short overhangs should have pleased the eye, the BMW's sheer frontal mass made its proportions seem out of balance. The application of the company's then-new ‘flame surfacing' form language also generated a visual business that seemed out of place on something as conceptually simple as a roadster.