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New MoT failure figures reveal surprises

BETWEEN January and August 2013 253,000 vehicles failed their first MoT, according to new data. 70 million records from the Vehicle Operation and Services Agency (VOSA) were examined to reveal the patterns of failure for cars receiving their first MoT, required three years from the date of first registration. However, while the best performers have pre-existing reputations for reliability, the bottom of the table reveals some surprises.

Bugatti Veyron Grand Sport Vitesse sets World Speed Record: OFFICIAL

What it was was a new world speed record for the Bugatti Veyron Grand Sport Vitesse, Bugatti’s convertible Veyron, which had been out playing at VW’s Ehra-Lessien test track in the hands of Chinese driver Anthony Liu, and under the watchful eye of Germany’s Technical Inspection and Certification (TÜV) to certify the Vitesse’s performance. That new world speed record for an open-topped production car is now officially 408.84kph (254mph), so Bugatti are dong what Bugatti do and producing a limited edition World Speed Record car – the Bugatti Veyron Grand Sport Vitesse WRC Edition. The Vitesse WRC comes with Bugatti’s 7.9 litre W16 with 1184bhp, 1,106lb/ft of torque and the same orange and black colour scheme as the Grand Sport World Record Coupe got when it broke the world speed record for a production car.

Rolls-Royce RR4 preview

Rolls-Royce Motor Cars today revealed the first design sketches of its next new model. Known internally as the RR4, the car is due to be launched in 2010 and will sit alongside the Phantom in the model line-up. The RR4 will be smaller than the Phantom and powered by a new engine, unique to Rolls-Royce.