2013 Honda Civic Ti Limited Edition

Honda has released a limited edition version of the latest Honda Civic – the Civic Ti – with sporty cosmetic tweaks. Honda wants us to think of the Civic Ti as a ‘Sporty’ Civic – despite no changes to the power or chassis – so they’ve bolted a set of ‘Le Mans’ Alloys from Team Dynamics on to the new Civic Ti – the same suppliers that give Honda wheels for their BTCC cars. As well as the alloys, the Civic Ti gets colour coded wheel arches, a leather steering wheel and gear knob and stuff from the Civic 1.8 litre i-VTEC SE on which it’s based including Climate, AUX and USB, steering wheel controls for audio and electric windows.

2011 Audi R8 GT, an AW first look

Three years after it burst onto the supercar scene, Audi has unveiled a hard-core version of its R8 called the GT. Based on the existing mid-engine R8 V10 and incorporating aerodynamic, weight-saving and mechanical developments used by the company's R8 LMS GT3 race car, Ingolstadt will build just 333 copies of the new 560-hp four-wheel-drive performance flagship. Pricing has not yet been revealed, but given the extent of the changes to the new two-seater, buyers should expect a hefty premium over the R8 V10's $147,000 price tag when the GT goes on sale in North America.

Lotus Evora does special duty for Italian Carabinieri

In a tip of the hat to Britain, the Italian Arma dei Carabinieri, a division of the army charged with civilian police duties, accepted two new Lotus Evora S models for special duty. The headquarters of the Carabinieri in Rome hosted a ceremony culminating in the Evora twins being turned over by Group Lotus CEO Dany Bahar. “Everyone knows that Italy has more than its fair share of high-profile sports-car manufacturers, so it’s a real honor for a relatively small British brand to be in this position,” Bahar said.