E. S. Ritchie & Sons Explorer Marine Compass on 2040-parts.com

Driven: Mazda RX-8

The two most obvious elements of its unusual make-up are its rotary engine and rear-hinged rear doors with integral B-pillars. What became clear during our week with the RX-8 was how these two aspects of its design form the basis of many other unique qualities... Sports coupe and GT coupe The rotary engine of the RX-8 has a very distinct power delivery that is a defining part of the car's character, but it is also a very small lump of metal compared to a similarly powerful conventional reciprocating piston engine, enabling more of the car's overall length to be devoted to cabin space.

First Sight: Volvo Concept You

Volvo today revealed its Concept You at the 2011 Frankfurt motor show, as the company continues to evolve its luxury car range. The latest evolution of the Concept Universe, first unveiled at Shanghai earlier this year, showcases the technology and craftsmanship that Volvo will be using in its future line-up, including smart pad technology and a touch-control cockpit. The emphasis on technology reflects the importance of infotainment in current society and immerses the driver to give them complete control and mobile connectivity.

McLaren P1 lapping the Nurburgring in UNDER 7 minutes in stunning new video

The McLaren P1 laps the Nurburgring in under 7 minutes Ever since Ron Dennis claimed the McLaren P1 would be able to lap the Nurburgring in under seven minutes, we’ve been waiting for McLaren to prove it. It seems their initial attempts failed to get below the magic 7 minute barrier – unlike the Porsche 918 Spyder which lapped the Nurburgring in 6m 57s – but last month we reported that the P1 seemed to have achieved its goal by going 10 seconds faster than the Porsche in  an almost unbelievable 6 minutes 47 seconds. Unfortunately, we still don’t know officially just how quickly the P1 got round the Nurburgring, but we do now know that it was under 7 minutes thanks to a new video just released by McLaren.