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Dany Bahar wants £6.7 million compensation from Lotus

The Dany Bahar saga at Lotus continues with Bahar claiming £6.7 million compensation for his firing as Lotus CEO. Back in May, ex-Ferrari man Dany Bahar was ousted as CEO of Lotus, confirmed a month later by Lotus parent DBR-Hicom who appointed Aslam Farikullah – an engineer, not a marketing man – to oversee a way forward for Lotus, and just last week Lotus put Bahar’s custom Esprit up for sale. But that appears not to be the end of dealings between DBR-Hicom and Bahar as Bahar has issued proceedings against his former employers seeking compensation of £6.7 million for wrongful dismissal.

Best British cars ever

Autocar – the world's oldest car magazine – has today revealed its list of the top 100 British cars in its latest issue.The list, compiled by a survey of the magazine's readers, includes seven Lotuses, six Jaguars, six Fords and five Aston Martins.It also involves one of the fastest cars ever made (the McLaren F1), one of the great design icons of the 20th century (the original Mini) and a car that made it to the New York Museum of Modern Art (the Jaguar E-Type).But which British-engineered icon tops the list?Click on the image above to see our rundown of the top 25 best British cars...  

Mercedes-Benz courts Renault for new Smart model based on Twingo

Mercedes-Benz is set to join forces with Renault in a deal aimed at providing its underdeveloped Smart division with a contemporary-engineered front-engine/front-wheel-drive platform as the basis for a frugal new Forfour model. The new Smart, due out in 2013, is planned to sit on a lightly modified version of the Renault Twingo’s underpinnings, complete with a 93.3-inch wheelbase. Speaking about the new car over the weekend, a highly placed Mercedes-Benz official told AutoWeek: “It’s a key component in plans to grow the Smart brand.