2013 Astra Convertible spied on video – The new Vauxhall Calibra / Opel Manta?

2013 Astra Convertible Spy Vauxhall and Opel have now managed to reveal much of the new Astra Model range – with the Astra GTC debuting at Frankfurt last month being the latest – but there’s still the drop-top Astra Convertible to come. The 2013 Astra Convertible – which may arrive as the new Vauxhall Calibra – has been caught on video testing ahead of an expected debut at Paris in 2012, before going on sale across Europe in 2013. Looking very much like the GTC with a cloth top, the new Astra Convertible loses the tin-top of the old model and gets a folding canvas top in the name of economy, lightness and dynamics.

Mystery new luxury British sportscar planned

The name David Brown is famously associated with Aston Martin, as the company was once owned by a British entrepreneur who is now immortalised in a series of “DB” model lines, including James Bond’s favourite DB5 and the current DB9. We digress. Now another David Brown is hoping to make his mark – or should that be marque – on the British luxury motoring scene by launching an all-new David Brown Automotive brand in April 2014.

Concept Car of the Week: Citroën Karin (1980)

With the 1980 Paris Motor show approaching and no new model to unveil, Citroën needed something to wow the crowds on its home turf. Trevor Fiore – who followed Robert Opron as the head of Citroën Design for a short time – gave the go-ahead for an innovative concept starting from a blank sheet of paper. The final concept was named Karin, and it was nothing short of breathtaking.