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MotoGP champ Valentino Rossi creates special Vauxhall Adam

Nine-time motorcycling Grand Prix World Champion Valentino Rossi has teamed up with Opel to create a special version of its Adam city car. The Italian two-wheel demon collaborated with famous motorcycle helmet designer Aldo Drudi to create the one-off Adam (sold by Opel’s sister company Vauxhall here in the UK) – and boy, is it bright. On Bing: see pictures of the Vauxhall Adam Find out how much a used Vauxhall Adam costs on Auto Trader The car has been created with charity in mind, and will be donated to the not-for-profit Meyer Children’s Hospital Foundation – the unique Adam will go up for auction at a fundraiser this December, with all proceeds going to the organisation.

London Taxi maker Manganese Bronze bought by China’s Geely

China automotive giant Geely has bought Manganese Bronze – makers of the iconic London Black Cab – in an £11.04 million deal. The iconic London Black Cab has been an accident waiting to happen for years, as under investment in making the Black Cab fit for the 21st century saw competition – like the Mercedes Vito Taxi and the Nissan NV200 Cab – start to offer serious competition to the taxi that identifies London. Despite an investment by China’s Geely – when Geely bought 20 per cent of Manganese Bronze, makers of the Black Cab – and the bulk of the Black Cab being produced in China and bolted together in the Midlands, the final nail in the coffin for Manganese Bronze was the recall of 400 TX4 cabs over a steering fault.

Aston Martin Vanquish Volante revealed at Pebble Beach

Aston Martin Vanquish Volante revealed at Pebble Beach (Photo credit: Kimball Studios, courtesy Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance) 2013 is a big year for Aston Martin – its 100th Anniversary – so Aston Martin at Pebble Beach this year is more than worth a look as Aston seeks to make a suitavly impressive spectacle at North America’s most prestigious car weekend. Top of the list of goodies – perhaps – for Pebble is the reveal this weekend of the convertible version of the new Vanquish – the Aston Martin Vanquish Volante – which gets a world public debut in front of the appreciative, and knowledgeable, crowd at Pebble. They’ll appreciate how clever Aston has been with the new Vanquish Volante which, despite using technology that’s really now past its sell-by date, they’ve managed to produce a convertible that’s incredibly stiff (certainly in comparison to the DBS Volante), beautiful to look at and performs as well as the Coupe.