Peugeot 208 T16 ready for 2013 Pikes Peak assault

Peugeot is set to take on the infamous Pikes Peak hillclimb in Colorado, USA in this 875bhp 208, driven by nine-time WRC champion Sébastien Loeb. The team behind the 208 T16 Pikes peak has released this video showing Loeb shaking down the monster 208 on French mountain roads, ahead of the 2013 Pikes Peak event on 30 June. The car uses a mid-mounted twin-turbo petrol V6 to develop 875bhp.

Monterey in a Mulsanne – a Bentley mission to Pebble Beach

After a ten-and-a-half-hour flight from London, the idea of steering headlong – and solo – into the early Los Angeles rush-hour traffic in a five-and-a-half-metre-long, left-hand drive Bentley Mulsanne (worth some £230,000 with extras) and on the other side of the road to which I am familiar, might seem a little daunting. But as soon as I sink into the super saloon’s big leather seats, Bluetooth my iPhone to stream some music via the Naim premium audio, turn up the air-conditioning and press the accelerator gently, all becomes well. LAX Airport may be my starting point but the final destination is the Monterey Peninsula towards San Francisco, some 400 miles northward, for the world-famous annual classic car show Pebble Beach.

Volvo Concept Coupe (2013) at Frankfurt motor show

The Swedes have done emotional coupes before – like the C70 and the legendary P1800 – but the Volvo Concept Coupe is the first from its new designer, Thomas Ingenlath. Recruited from VW, Ingenlath says that the concept, which is underpinned by the new SPA platform (which stands for Scalable Platform Architecture) that will be used on the 2014 XC90, is both a nod to the past and a signal of intent for the future. You’ll be able to see it at the Frankfurt motor show in September.