Lotus Elan/plus 2s Rear Axle Donuts on 2040-parts.com

Bridgestone Potenza S001 – standard on 458 Italia & Rapide +video

The Bridgestone Potenza S001 - as fitted to the Ferrari 458 Italia I think it must be a petrol-head thing, but we love tyres. Anything from a cross-ply to the latest high-performance job is a source of fascination. Our tyre fixation this last few months has been winter tryes, and we’ve told anyone who’d listen not to rush out and buy a 4×4 when the snow hit but to invest in a decent set of winter tyres.

Jenson Button in McLaren P1 (2013) supercar fly-by

McLaren’s P1 supercar trundled out for its first official drive-by today, when F1 driver Jenson Button drove it into McLaren’s Woking citadel before unveiling his 2013 race car. The stunt confirmed that the P1 can manoeuvre on electric power alone, unlike Button’s MP4-28: the race car’s hybrid KERS system is used to deliver a short power boost to supplement the V8. McLaren predicts the P1’s electric-only mode is a capability its forthcoming Ferrari rival (codenamed F150) won’t be able to match.

SEAT Ibiza FR TDI announced

The three and five door versions of the SEAT Ibiza FR TDI ‘Sporty’ and Diesel’ were two words that never used to go together. But as diesel engines become more and more compelling car makers are keen to add performance diesel versions to their range. More torque and better fuel consumption are reason enough to run a diesel these days for a daily drive, but when performance figures actually make the diesel fun it’s hard to argue against.