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Retro style, street-rod flair made PT Cruiser a star

The recipe was simple. Use an existing small-car platform, mix in some nifty retro styling inside and out, build it in a low-cost country, and command a higher price. When it made its debut at the 1999 North American International Auto Show in Detroit, the Chrysler PT Cruiser with its street-rod flair was an immediate sensation.

Bertone Jaguar B99 GT concept (2011) at the Geneva motor show

Bertone B99 GT – the racing version Next to the fully-trimmed B99 show car on Bertone's stand is an exterior mock-up of a GT2-class racing B99.  Two additional electric motors up front mean the GT has 972bhp all wheel drive capability.  A carbonfibre splitter, diffuser and flat undertray are matched with a massive bootlid wing.  There's enormous side-exit exhausts for the range-extender generator, a 100mm lowering job and a lurid green paintjob.  It’s an extreme way for Bertone to highlight the dual images of luxury and performance that Jaguar has in its heritage – particularly since there aren’t currently any saloons in the FIA GT2 series.  Perhaps they should have painted it in a '70s Broadspeed XJC touring car livery to get the full effect. More details on the Bertone B99 exterior design Bertone claims that it has modernized classic Jaguar three-box saloon design with the B99, with Bertone’s design chief Mike Robinson and his team drawing inspiration not just from past Jaguars, but the stealthy big cat that lends its name and image to the brand.  They coined the slogan "Cunning Glamour with Race-Bred Innovation” to embody the B99’s design… but from the two cars on the stand it looks like reconciling those disparate aims in the one vehicle may have been a bit beyond them. The roofline has been shortened and lowered in proportion to a conventional three-box body, inspired by a Jaguar cat stalking its prey.

2011 Ford Mondeo: Moscow debut

The 2011 tweaked and tucked Ford Mondeo Ford have given the Mondeo a tweak or two to keep it fresh and have decided the ideal place to debut it is at the Moscow Motor Show in August. They’ve also sent us pictures so we can have a look at the cosmetic changes for the first time. We’ve covered all the news on the 2011 Mondeo’s engine upgrades – the 2.0 litre EcoBoost boasts and the three flavours of 2.0 litre Duratorq TDCi – and the new PowerShift six-speed, double-wet-clutch ‘box, so what is the Blue Oval offering up in the way of cosmetic changes?