Mild Steel Donut 1 7/8" on 2040-parts.com

Lotus CEO Dany Bahar on the crisis at Lotus Cars

Lotus chief executive Dany Bahar has laid bare the business position at Lotus Cars since the takeover of parent company Proton by Malaysia's DRB-Hicom. Norfolk's sports car maker has been buffeted by rumours of financial crisis and looming collapse since development was frozen by the new owners (click here for our coverage of the crisis at Lotus. CAR scored an interview with Bahar at the Hethel headquarters yesterday afternoon. He was abroad at the time of last week's media maelstrom, when rumours and slurs flew around about the state of Lotus's finances.

Audi R8

Audi has unveiled the new R8 supercar, closely based on the Le Mans concept that was shown three years ago in Frankfurt. The two-seat car uses a shortened version of the Lamborghini Gallardo platform, and is powered by a 4.2-liter V8 using FSI technology first introduced by the A2. Like the now-obsolete small car the R8 is also constructed of an aluminum space-frame, keeping weight down to 1360kg.

It's 510 Again!

Any sports or sporty car driver worth their gear oil will remember the mighty Datsun 510 - the front-engine, rear-drive coupe, sedan and wagon that gave racers on a budget something that was just as fun to pilot as BMWs and Alfas of the day. From 1968 to 1973 you could have as much fun as any of those guys with fancy European rides. While a little more boxy than its competitors, the 510 was nonetheless nimble and extraordinarily fun to drive.