Black/red Backdraft Racing Roadster Patch 3x5 on 2040-parts.com

Mercedes CLA 45 AMG gets the Brabus treatment

The Mercedes CLA 45 AMG gets the Brabus treatment The Mercedes CLA 45 AMG is already the most powerful 2.0 litre 4-door saloon/coupe on the market, offering an immense 355bhp and 332lb/ft of torque. But if you think the CLA 45 AMG is a bit too tame – and needs to shout its performance a bit louder – then Brabus may have the answer with their take on the CLA 45 AMG. Brabus have taken the Mercedes 2.0 litre turbo and had a play with its brain to release even more horses than the standard car so it now has an astonishing 395bhp and 369lb/ft of torque, which manages to cut the 0-62mph to an even more impressive 4.2 seconds.

Renault turn central London in to a full-size Scalextric for the Zoe EV (video)

The Renault Zoe Scalextric cars turn on to the Embankment Even those who have never driven an electric car probably have if we count childhood exploits with Scalextric; hand-grip controllers clenched in hand seeing how fast you can go before your car tips off in a bend. So Renault decided it would be a good idea to create a full-size Scalextric track in central London, modify a pair of Renault Zoe EVs to slot in to the newly fabricated track and blat the cars round the 1.9 mile track in London controlled by competition winners from a helicopter hovering overhead. The race sees the two Zoes go head-to-head on the Scalextric track, starting out on the South Bank by the London Eye, over Westminster Bridge, past the Houses of Parliament, down the Embankment, up The Strand, over Waterloo Bridge, round the IMAX and finishing alongside the Thames at the finish line.

Under the hammer, overseas: Russo and Steele explores classic-car auction in China

It's ambitious, it's unprecedented and it's loaded with pitfalls. But if it can be pulled off, it could serve as a template for international growth for American auction houses. Russo and Steele is expanding into China and has announced plans this fall to form a joint venture with a Chinese company as a foothold.