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Bentley to debut Flying Spur V8 at Geneva motor show

Bentley is expanding its Flying Spur range, and will now offer a V8 engine as an option in addition to the W12 in the 2015 model year sedan. This seems like a logical extension, given the fact that Bentley has recently offered a V8 engine in the second-generation Continental GT V8, and they'll bring the new version of the Flying Spur to the Geneva Motor Show next week. Bentley being rather straightforward with their naming practices, the new sedan will be called the Flying Spur V8.

GM expands recall for deadly ignition issue

GM is expanding its ignition recall from earlier this month to include 2003-2007 model year Saturn Ions, 2006-2007 Chevy HHRs and 2006-2007 Pontiac Solstice and Saturn Sky models. The total number of cars affected in the U.S. has reached 1,367,146.

Mini Clubman concept revealed ahead of Geneva motor show

Mini previewed its upcoming new Clubman with a lightly veiled concept of the larger, reconfigured five-seater. It makes its public premiere at next week's Geneva motor show. While the Mini design team took some design license, the new car's exterior closely resembles the 2015 North American production model.

2015 Ford Mustang makes premier 'Hero' car

The 2015 Mustang stirs up the silver screen with the latest co-branded commercial set to arrive this weekend during the Daytona 500. “Need for Speed” director Scott Waugh says that the ideal movie cars “combine tons of power, rear-wheel drive, great handling and the ability to be easily flung around corners.” So what's better than the latest and greatest Mustang to roll out of the Blue Oval? The 50th anniversary of course.

One Lap of the Web: made in West Germany...with pride!

-- Out of all the viral social media trends that 24-hour news agencies love to fret over, easily the best is #burnoutnomination -- where you do a burnout and tag an unwitting victim, whereupon they have to perform it in 24 hours or face copious shame and embarrassment. Porsche racer and director Jeff Zwart was recently tasked with burnout duty. Never one to shy away from The Awesome, he recorded a fantastic burnout in his Porsche 914/6.

Mini Clubman concept (2014) first official pictures

By Damion Smy First Official Pictures 26 February 2014 09:00 This is the new Mini Clubman Concept and, your eyes aren’t playing tricks on you – it has more doors than ever. The new four-door (well, six if you could the two-piece rear opening) is the first Mini to have two sets of cabin doors, and will offer the same range of three- and four-cylinder engines as the rest of the range. Just as the Fiat 500 range is expanding in terms of size, doors and oddity, the Mini family is growing too.  While officially it’s a concept, given the brand’s history of production ready showcars, you won’t have to squint too hard – or at all – for the road-going version.

New MINI Clubman at Geneva 2014 as a concept

The new MINI Clubman (pictured) arrives at Geneva as a concept The first stage in the complete arrival of the new MINI only happened in November with the reveal of the all new MINI as a bigger, more complete MINI with completely new underpinnings thanks to BMW’s UKL1 platform. Now, the next iteration  of the MINI – the new MINI Clubman – is previewed with the arrival of the MINI Clubman Concept ahead of a Geneva Motor Show debut next month, and it to has grown. Considerably.

Rolls Royce redesigns sought in new competition

Hip Shing Hong Group, Stefano Tordiglione Design and online design platform It's Liquid have launched a competition to redesign a Rolls Royce for a factory-turned-office project in Hong Kong. The contest, focused around the themes ‘Innovation', ‘Energy' and ‘Creativity', is giving the winners the chance to see their design displayed in the lobby of the new building. They will also receive a cash prize of HKD 20,000/EUR 2,000, while the second- and third-placed designers will earn themselves HKD 10,000/EUR 1,000 and HKD 5,000/EUR 500 respectively.

Volvo Concept Estate photos

Last week, Volvo's Geneva Motor Show concept was teased on a Swedish raincoat company's website. This week, we've got official photos of the Concept Estate, a wagonesque vehicle set to be shown at a show that's all about the supercar. We'll see the new Ferrari California T there.

Rolls Royce Ghost Series II Geneva tease

The Series II Rolls Royce Ghost teased It’s getting on for five years since the Rolls Royce Ghost arrived officially as the ‘cheaper’ option to the Phantom and aimed at owner drivers. And now it’s time for an update. Ahead of a debut at the Geneva Show next week, the Rolls Royce Ghost Series II is being teased by RR with a single image of its iconic front end (above).

Consumer Reports gets top vehicle picks mostly right

Despite the publication's uncomfortably broad definition of reliability -- it spans everything from "the engine fell out" to "the touchscreen display shows fingerprints too easily" -- automakers still clamor to get on the Consumer Reports recommended vehicle list. This year's winners cover a broad spectrum of vehicles, and for the most part, we're in agreement with the magazine's editors, with one significant exception at the top of the list. Best overall vehicle went to the Tesla Model S.

Vauxhall Astra VXR Extreme gets 300bhp

The Vauxhall Astra VXR Extreme (pictured) gets 300bhp When the Vauxhall Astra Extreme popped its head above the parapet at the end of January as a potential range-topping Astra, we did wonder if it was going to get more power as well as suspension and cosmetic tweaks. It is. Vauxhall still aren’t saying just how powerful the Extreme is, but they do say it will have ‘more than 300 pS if (and probably, when) it goes in to production.

Drivers not appy about M25 cyclist

A CYCLIST caused travel chaos after a phone navigation app directed him to Britain's busiest motorway in the rush hour. The misguided rider ended up pedalling for some miles on the southern section of the M25 in Surrey. With drivers, and others, taking to Twitter to give their views of the man, there were long hold-ups for morning traffic on the often-clogged motorway.

New Jaguar XF R-Sport is the start of more R-Sport models from Jaguar

The Jaguar XF R-Sport (pictured) adds sport looks to the saloon and Sportbrake The big news from Jaguar for the 2014 Geneva Motor Show is the arrival of a barnstorming XF Estate – the Jaguar XFR-S Sportbrake – with its 542bhp supercharged V8. But also heading for Geneva is a more lowly XF that might not grab the headlines but will probably do more for Jaguar’s bottom line than the XFR-S – the new Jaguar XF R-Sport. Available as an XF saloon or XF Sportbrake, the XF R-Sport is Jaguar’s take on stuff like BMW M Sport and Mercedes AMG Line (but without any power or suspension tweaks) and is aimed at owners and drivers who want the sporty looks of cars like the XFR but want it powered by something more prosaic.

Opel Astra OPC Extreme debuts before Geneva

The Geneva motor show starts next week, which means we get to see an awesome selection of cars that will never come to our shores. On Wednesday, Opel added the Astra OPC Extreme to that category, which now includes the Jaguar XFR-S Sportbrake, Volkswagen Polo and Aston Martin Vantage N430, among others. The Astra OPC Extreme is 220 pounds lighter than the already-hot OPC, thanks to the use of carbon fiber.

Vauxhall Astra VXR Extreme (2014) latest details on Vauxhall’s super-hatch

By Ollie Kew First Official Pictures 26 February 2014 09:00 Vauxhall has revealed more details about the hottest hatch in the brand’s history: the track-ready Astra VXR Extreme. The concept, which should see production in 2015, has more than 300PS (296bhp), and has shed 100kg from the standard road car’s kerbweight. That puts the Astra VXR’s mass at an estimated 1375kg.

Volkswagen brings entire Polo lineup to Geneva

Volkswagen revealed the new Polo lineup on Wednesday ahead of the cars' official appearance at the Geneva motor show. The Polo family now includes the Polo TSI BlueMotion, TDI BlueMotion, BlueGT and CrossPolo. VW will also tout its R-Line exterior and interior packages for the subcompacts.

Hennessey Venom GT hits new, unofficial, speed record (video)

The Hennessey Venom GT (pictured) hist 270.49mph on a NASA runway Top speed records for production cars is starting to seem pretty irrelevant as there’s almost nowhere an owner can ever hope to hit those record speeds. And the performance of cars like the new McLaren P1 – where  performance and handling are much more the focus than outright top speed – has added the the irrelevance. But that doesn’t stop some car makers aiming for the bragging rights of the world’s fastest production car, and John Hennessey and his Hennessey Venom GT are back with another claim on the title.

Children And Mobile Phones Prove Biggest Distraction To Drivers

CHILDREN might be charming most of the time but a new survey from the Institute of Advanced Motorists (IAM) will no doubt have parents reading the data with a knowing smile. According to the poll, conducted in conjunction with Vision Critical, 29 percent of drivers questioned admitted that their children proved to be the biggest distraction when driving. Following close behind, and with a nod to the busy lives many claim to lead, was the ubiquitous mobile phone - be that for making calls, texting or checking social media updates.

Jaguar XFR-S Sportbrake OFFICIALLY revealed. Price from £82,495

The Jaguar XFR-S Sportbrake (pictured) has now been officially revealed The new Jaguar XFR-S Sportbrake made an early appearance yesterday after the first photo leaked out, but this morning Jaguar has done the decent think and made it official. The XFR-S Sportbrake is a car we all hoped Jaguar would put at the top of their Sportbrake range, but it will have taken two full years since the debut of the XF Sportbrake to add a model with the supercharged V8. But rather than making a straightforward XFR Sportbrake, Jaguar has gone the whole hog – just as it did with the F-Type R Coupe - and skipped the 504bhp version of the Supercharged V8 and jumped straight to the full-fat XFR-S with 542bhp.

Volvo wants to deliver stuff right to your car

If you've missed deliveries of items you've ordered online because you weren't home when the delivery person showed up (who knew they have the same working hours as you?), then you may be interested to hear that Volvo has a new system in development that could enable logistics companies to deliver things right to your car, whether you're there or not. The cost of missed parcel deliveries amounts to 1 billion Euros per year according to Volvo. This week at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, the automaker showed off a system that would notify car owners, via a smartphone or tablet, when a delivery company wants to drop off or pick up something from their car.

New Nissan Juke explodes in to view (sort of)

This, apparently, is the new Nissan Juke We’ve already seen a number of ‘teases’ for new cars due to debut at the 2014 Geneva Motor Show next month, and this afternoon it’s the turn of Nissan to tease the 2014 Juke facelift with a completely uninformative teaser image. The Nissan Juke – revealed four year ago at the Geneva Motor Show after a preview as the Nissan Qazana Concept the year before - brought Nissan’s funky compact crossover to the public’s attention and introduced a new ‘Ugly is Appealing’ look to mainstream motoring. But four years is a long time in the car world, and many other have tried to grab a piece of the Juke’s market place, so it’s time to give it a refresh with a facelifted version heading for Geneva next month.

Bentley Continental GT Speed gets more power & Bentley Flying Spur gets V8

The 2014 Bentley Continental GT Speed gets a makeover and more power Perhaps the arrival of the new Mercedes S-Class Coupe – especially as the S 63 AMG Coupe – has spurred Bentley on to make their cars a bit more special, but whatever the reason the 2014 Bentley Continental GT Speed offers more power and more options than ever before. Power in the 6.0 litre V12 has been pushed up to 626bhp and 605lb/ft of torque which means top speed goes up to 206mph (203mph for the convertible), making the new GT Speed the fastest production Bentley ever. There are more tweaks under the skin too with a lowered chassis and stiffer suspension and cosmetic tweaks too with the front splitter, side skirts and  rear diffuser now painted in body colour, dark tinted 21″ alloys, headlights and tail lights, red brake callipers and a chrome ‘Speed’ badge on the front wing.

2015 Jaguar XFR-S Sportbrake roars ahead of Geneva motor show debut

International auto shows are mixed blessings. On the one hand, we love seeing what's going on in other markets; on the other, we hate being tempted by cars that will never, ever make it stateside. In Tokyo, it's tiny, toylike econoboxes.

Jaguar XFR-S Sportbrake (2014) first official pictures

By Ollie Kew First Official Pictures 25 February 2014 09:00 This is Jaguar’s first performance estate car: the XFR-S Sportbrake. Much of the car’s styling and mechanical package is shared with the 542bhp XFR-S saloon, and its performance is right up there too. It’s the most ballistic family Jag ever, but you’ll need deep pockets to bag one: it’ll cost from £82,495 in the UK when it lands in April 2014.

Bentley Flying Spur V8 (2014) first official pictures

By Ollie Kew First Official Pictures 25 February 2014 14:00 This is the politically correct Bentley Flying Spur. No really – the Flying Spur V8 has a downsized engine: a twin-turbo V8 rather than the existing car’s bi-turbo W12. It’ll be revealed at the 2014 Geneva motor show, along with a boosted Continental GT Speed model mustering even more power for 2014.

Hennessey Venom GT sets new 270mph world speed record

The Hennessey Venom GT has set a new world speed record for a two-seat sports car, hitting an official top speed of 270.49mph. Carried out on the 3.2-mile Space Shuttle landing strip at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, USA, the Venom GT eclipsed the former fastest car in the world’s record, the 267.86mph Bugatti Veyron Super Sport. On Bing: see pictures of the Hennessey Venom GTHennessey Venom GT reaches 265.7mph top speed It’s not the first time the Lotus Exige-based sports car has tried to take the French marque’s crown, with previous tests getting oh-so-close to beating the Bugatti.

Help MSN Cars and Driver Power to find Britain's best - and worst - new cars

Getty We're on a quest to find Britain's best new cars to buy and own - and we need your help. MSN Cars has teamed up with the Driver Power survey, Britain's biggest report of its type. It speaks to real motorists to find out what they think of their cars.

Scots Take Most Pride In Keeping Cars Clean

A TELL-ALL survey of over 1,000 motorists across the country has revealed a North/South divide between the drivers of Great Britain when it comes to car hygiene. The poll conducted by IMO Car Wash Group discovered that people in the south of the country are the dirty rascals of Great Britain, with just 45 percent cleaning a car at least once a month. On the other hand, the Scottish shone through as the cleanest motorists, with 60 percent washing their car at least once a month.

Footballer quizzed over 'collision'

ARSENAL MIDFIELDER Mesut Ozil is thought to have been questioned by police over allegations the car he was driving hit a photographer. The alleged incident occurred on Friday night in Highgate, north London. A Metropolitan Police spokesman said: "Police were called at approximately 7.18pm on Friday 21 February to reports of an alleged collision between a vehicle and a member of the public in Sheldon Avenue N6.