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Lexus RC F & RC F Carbon price and specs – costs from £59,995

The Lexus RC F (pictured) costs from £59,995 The Lexus RC F Coupe arrived earlier this year at the Detroit Motor Show and now, following the end of IS F production to make way for it, the RC F is going on sale in the UK, with prices starting at £59,995. Whether the RC F offers enough to prove a challenge to the BMW M4 remains to be seen, but on paper it all looks very promising – and good-looking. In the UK, the RC F will come in two guises – RC F and RC F Carbon – with both models getting the same 5.0 litre V8 with ‘more than’ 450bhp and 383lb/ft of torque driven to the back wheels through an eight-speed Sports Direct Shift gearbox.

The most expensive cars ever: Ferrari 250 GTO sells for $38 million

By Tim Pollard Motoring Issues 15 August 2014 10:19 A 1962 Ferrari 250 GTO Berlinetta sold overnight for a record $38,115,000 (£22,528,626) at the prestigious Bonhams Quail Lodge Auction held during Monterey Car Week. At a stroke, the Ferrari has become the most valuable car in the world, overtaking the 1954 Mercedes W196 R F1 Racer which sold for $30m at an auction at the 2013 Goodwood Festival of Speed. Tellingly, seven of the top 10 most expensive cars ever sold at auction were Ferraris (see our list below).

Ferrari sold for record £22 million

A RARE FERRARI has been sold at auction for a record price of £22.84 million. One of just 39 models made and regarded as one of the greatest Ferraris, the 1962 Ferrari 250 GTO Berlinetta went under the hammer at Bonhams' auction in Carmel, California. A huge crowd watching the bidding broke into applause at the confirmation of the final price, which outdid the previous record for a car sold at auction.

2015 Volkswagen Touareg price and specs – costs from £43,000

The 2015 Volkswagen Touareg (pictured) costs from £35k Volkswagen revealed a facelift for its biggest SUV – the VW Touareg – at the Beijing Motor Show in April which got the usual tweaks of titivated front and back and a new set of alloys to make it look fresher. Also in the mix, sadly, was the end of the very grunty 4.2 litre V8 diesel (and the hybrid in the UK) with VW deciding to concentrate on two flavours of V6 diesel and adding in new technology like post-collision braking, coasting and low-resistance tyres with air suspension to the mix. Now, with the 2015 VW Touareg due to go on sale on 27 August, Volkswagen has revealed prices and specs for the new Touareg.

Drivers 'changing their habits'

ALMOST a third of motorists have modified their on-the-road habits in the 12 months since new careless driving fines were introduced, according to an AA/Populus survey. But while 29% have altered their behaviour, as many as 74% say they have not noticed a change in other drivers' habits. The new measures have allowed police to issue a fixed penalty notice for less serious examples of careless driving, such as tailgating and middle-lane hogging.

Concept Car of the Week: IAD Venus (1989)

In the late '80s, IAD had become one of the most reputable design and engineering companies worldwide. The team developed models such as the first Mazda Miata/MX-5, the Volvo 480 coupé and the Alien concept. At the1989 Tokyo motor show, the firm added another masterpiece to an already outstanding portfolio with the Venus.

Cop saves life of choking driver

A US POLICE officer saved a motorist in Kalamazoo, Michigan, who was choking after stopping her for driving through a red light. Officer Jason Gates realised the woman could not breathe when he approached her vehicle, so he hit her on the back to try to clear her airway. When that did not work, he performed the Heimlich manoeuvre which dislodged a piece of sausage and bread from her throat.

Toyota FT-1 Evo - Toyota shows ‘real-world’ Supra concept

By Tim Pollard First Official Pictures 14 August 2014 11:33 Has Toyota dropped a hint that the glorious FT-1 concept car could be bound for a showroom one day? It today unveiled new photographs of the super-coupe, calling it ‘a real-world’ version. Toyota has form here, remember.

11 amazing details to drool over on Jaguar's Lightweight E-type

You thought today’s crop of Jaguars were clever for their use of weight-saving aluminium? Think again. The leaping cat was at it back in the 1960s - the Lightweight E-type was clothed in an alloy body in place of the regular E’s steel panels.

Lifeboat resuces two swamped cars

A LIFEBOAT CREW rescued two cars which were swamped by the sea within 90 minutes of each other as the highest tides of the year caught drivers out. At least one of the vehicles which were wrecked by the submerging North Sea had been used to try to pull a boat out of the water, the RNLI said. A crew from Redcar, near Middlesbrough, responded to the first call-out at 3.20pm on Wednesday after coastguards received a number of 999 calls saying two people were on the roof of a vehicle on the town's beach as the waters came in.

New Toyota FT-1 and FT-1 Vision Gran Turismo Concept revealed

The new Toyota FT-1 Concept (pictured) will debut at Pebble Beach At the Detroit Motor Show in January, the impressive Toyota FT-1 Concept was revealed, with the general concensus being that it pointed firmly at a future Toyota Supra. And that thought is reinforced with the arrival of a new FT-1 Concept, ahead of a debut at Pebble Beach – and a ‘virtual’ FT-1 Concept in the guise of the Toyota FT-1 Vision Gran Turismo Concept. The new FT-1 Concept comes complete with a new graphite paint job, but perhaps the more interesting aspect is that the interior now looks more upmarket and more appealing.

Volvo V60 Plug-in Hybrid gets Polestar upgrade

Volvo V60 Plug-in Hybrid gets Polestar upgrade The Volvo V60 Plug-in Hybrid is proving a big sales success for Volvo – and no wonder. The V60 Plug-in Hybrid takes the already very good Volvo V60 and plants a hybrid plug-in under the skin which offers Volvo’s 215bhp 5-cylinder diesel engine – which drives the front wheels – mated to a 70bhp electric motor at the back, making the V60 Plug-in a 4WD Estate with a decent turn of performance, a range of up to 621 miles and a BIK-busting 49g/k emissions. Not only that, but you can now have the V60 Plug-in with Volvo’s R-Design spec offering the usual Volvo ‘go faster’ updates which make the V60 look more purposeful without looking silly.

Fears grow over more London congestion

MOST LONDONERS reckon congestion is going to worsen in their city over the next five years. But they are heavily divided on the best way of beating the jams, according to a YouGov survey for business group London First. As many as 40% of the 1,055 adults polled said congestion would increase a lot, while 38% believed it would increase a little.

2015 Audi A7, S7 RS7 Sportback facelift price and specs – costs from £45,875

Audi A7 facelift arrives priced from £45,875 The facelift for the Audi A7, S7 and RS7 Sportback arrived back in May, and although the styling changes weren’t enormous there were some very decent updates all round, and now the A7 Sportback range is on sale in the UK from £45,875. The big news for the A7 range was the arrival of Audi’s frugal 3.0 litre TDI ultra, a FWD 215bhp turbo diesel offering headline economy of 60.1mpg, and the arrival of a new S Tronic auto ‘box to replace the woeful Multitronic CVT. But with the A7 range now going on sale we learn there are quite a few spec changes too to make the range simpler and more appealing.

Highway Code braking distances questioned

THE ACCURACY of facts and figures in the Highway Code has been called into question after research by the RAC showed that many drivers underestimate official stopping distances. As part of the organisation's Report on Motoring 2014, drivers were asked to identify the Highway Code's stated stopping distances from different speeds, but the majority “seriously underestimated” the figures. However, a separate survey by Right Driver of 1,000 Advanced Driving Instructors (ADIs) revealed that the vast majority strongly believe that the official braking distances have become irrelevant and should be updated.

Tesla Expands UK Supercharger Network

FOLLOWING on from the recent UK launch of the right-hand drive version of its Model S electric car, Tesla has turned its attention to expanding its Supercharger network. The Supercharger is a public charging facility allowing owners to rapid charge their vehicles – around 20 minutes for a half charge – enabling longer journey times. In partnership with the Hyatt Regency hotel chain, Tesla now has Superchargers in London and Birmingham at the hotel’s Portman Square and Bridge Street properties respectively.

New cars 'cheaper to insure' for young drivers

NEW CARS are actually cheaper for young drivers to insure than old bangers, insurance broker Be Wiser has claimed. Figures from the company reveal that the cheapest car for youngsters to insure at the moment is a Volkswagen Up, which costs around £3,000 per year based on a 17-year-old driver in a large city. The same customer looking to insure a 20-year-old Ford Fiesta would be facing a bill of almost £4,000, with insurance premiums even higher in some parts of the country.

Road drainage problems increasing

ROAD DRAINAGE during the mid-summer heatwave was no better than in the early-year floods, according to 40% of drivers. A further 9% said drainage in June was even worse than during the winter downpours, the AA/Populus survey of more than 18,000 AA members showed. Most dissatisfaction with the state of the roads in mid-summer was shown by drivers in Yorkshire and Humberside, with 46% of them reckoning drainage was no better than during the winter.

Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat (2015): the world’s fastest saloon

By Tim Pollard First Official Pictures 14 August 2014 17:10 Following hot on the heels of the Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat comes the four-door version - the new Charger SRT Hellcat, unveiled this week and due to be built from early 2015. The company claims it’s the ‘quickest, fastest and most powerful sedan in the world,’ and a quick look at the specs suggests they’ve created a super-saloon to shame the fastest four-doors from Europe. The new four-door Hellcat packs a 707bhp punch and is capable of a standing quarter mile in just 11.0sec.

Brief 4 – GMC: CDN–GM Interactive Design Competition

Once again, Car Design News and General Motors are holding an Interactive Design Competition.There are five design briefs to choose from, each set by GM's design teams, and you're invited to submit your entry on the competition website: http://www.cardesigncontest.com/ The fourth of our briefs comes from GMC, GM's truck-and-utility-only brand, and asks you to design of the interior or exterior of a GMC show car to be revealed at the 2030 North American International Auto Show. Your design should focus on a future interpretation of GMC's ‘industrial sculpture' design philosophy. You'll need to bear in mind who the customer for this truck or utility vehicle is, and consider what is the purpose and application of the vehicle.

Toyota car design contest for kids makes us smile and wonder 'what if'

Toyota has held its eighth annual dream car art contest, inviting entries from children aged 15 or younger from all around the world to imagine their dream car. Entries have poured in, all on paper as digital methods aren't allowed. However, Toyota has turned the work of the 90 finalists into six-second Vine videos.

Rolls Royce Wraith for Forza 5 – the first video game Rolls Royce

The Rolls Royce Wraith joins Forza If you play Forza Motorsport 5 for Xbox One, you have the choice of seemingly endless cars and tracks in wonderful detail, with the focus on performance and thrills. So a Rolls Royce may not seem the most obvious choice of a Forza car, but with RR’s belief that the new Wraith offers a great driving – and luxury – option, they’ve taken the step of joining the world of video games. Developed by Turin 10 Studios, Forza Motorsport 5 gets an all-new graphics engine that brings realism to a new level, and that suits the Rolls Royce Wraith just fine.

Four in 10 'can't read maps'

ALMOST four in 10 drivers don't know how to read a traditional map, according to new research by sat-nav manufacturer Garmin. A study of 2,000 Brits revealed that 39% admit to not knowing what they're doing with old-fashioned navigation, but the true figure could well be higher than that when taking into account those who believe they can read a map but have either never tried or never proved it. A worrying 16% say that they are 'heavily reliant' on sat-nav in their cars in order to get anywhere – even to places they regularly visit.

Saab facing bankruptcy – again

Saab are facing bankruptcy once more. Saab has not had a happy history, certainly since it was swallowed up by GM and pushed in to building Saabs with GM underpinnings. Then, in the midst of the bankruptcy of GM, Saab went through a circus of possible owners before GM sold Saab out to Spyker, but Spyker couldn’t make a go of things and they too went bankrupt.

Fears Over More London Gridlock

MOST Londoners believe congestion is going to worsen in their city over the next five years. However they are heavily divided on the best way of beating the jams, according to a YouGov survey for business group London First. As many as 40% of the 1,055 adults polled said congestion would increase a lot, while 38% believed it would increase a little.

Nissan recruits Champions League football stars

NISSAN has gone football mad ahead of the new European season, recruiting as brand ambassadors two of the finest talents to grace the 2014-15 Champions League. The Japanese firm is sponsoring the competition this year, and has secured the services of Brazil's captain of Paris Saint-Germain Thiago Silva and the Barcelona and Spain midfielder Andrés Iniesta, who himself has won three Champions League titles. Dubbed Nissan's new 'Engineers of Excitement', the firm says in a press release that the players “will help the Japanese car manufacturer in its campaign to introduce new innovations to enhance the football fan experience.” They will feature in a series of TV adverts focusing on how innovation is key, both on and off the field, to creating excitement for football fans and drivers.

Pensioner rescued from sinking car

A PENSIONER had a lucky escape when he was rescued from his car just before it sank under water after he was stranded on a tidal causeway. The man, in his 80s, was trapped inside the vehicle with the sea rising around him after he got stuck on the causeway between Overton and Sunderland Point, Lancashire, the RNLI said. Emergency services were called just before 3.30pm yesterday and the Morecambe RNLI's inshore lifeboat crew found the man inside the car and unable to open the doors because of the pressure of water.

Dallara branches out from track to road with new 2017 sports car plan

By Georg Kacher Motor Industry 13 August 2014 09:27 Dallara - the company involved in top-end motorsport from Formula E to Indycar - is readying a sports car for the road, CAR magazine can reveal. In the new September 2014 issue on sale today, Gian Paolo Dallara, the firm's founder, confirms a back-to-basics eponymous sports car due to arrive by 2017. The Dallara road car will be extremely focused: target weight stands at just 850kg, enabled by the use of carbonfibre, just like on the Alfa Romeo 4C that Dallara helped to develop.

Brief 2 – Cadillac: CDN–GM Interactive Design Competition

Car Design News and General Motors are once again holding an Interactive Design Competition. There are five briefs to choose from, set by GM's designers, and you're invited to submit your entry on the competition website: http://www.cardesigncontest.com/ Cadillac's brief offers an interesting challenge: looking to the horizon – while considering global luxury customers, competitors and trends – how would you design a Cadillac V-Series vehicle for an urban environment? The brief asks for your to design a B- or C-segment car that embodies Cadillac brand philosophy and vehicle attributes, and should give an evolutionary perspective on the firm's Art & Science design philosophy.

2015 Kia Sorento revealed ahead of Paris Motor Show debut

Kia Kia has released pictures of its third-generation Sorento SUV ahead of its European unveiling at the Paris Motor Show 2014. The 2015 Kia Sorento is a seven-seat bigger brother to the Sportage, which itself received a mid-life update earlier this year. In typical Kia fashion, the front of the 2015 Sorento is dominated by its “tiger nose” grille, as well as long swept-back headlights – similar to those on the Cee'd hatchback.