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Koenigsegg Agera at Goodwood: Up close and personal

Koenigsegg Agera on the Goodwood hillclimb We have to confess that we have a huge soft spot for the creations of Christian von Koenigsegg. So when we knew that friend of Cars UK Tommy Wareham, purveyor of all things stunning on four wheels at SuperVettura, was taking the only Koenigsegg Agera in the UK to Goodwood we thought Claire’s Goodwood Odyssey should continue with a good poke round the Agera. Understandably, Tommy wasn’t going to let Claire – or anyone else – loose on the Agera up the hillclimb as it’s a customer’s car, but he did chuck Claire the keys for a good look round, the opportunity to grab a set of Agera photos (below), and the chance to dream… Beautifully finished and oozing carbon fibre from every pore, the Koenigsegg Agera is perhaps the ultimate bonkers supercar, at an equally bonkers price – just think of it as a million pound supercar; it’s close enough.

MINI Countryman to be built in India

MINI sells worldwide – even in the US – and, despite claims it was a step too far for the brand, the MINI Countryman has been a big hit for MINI, offering as it does most of MINI’s charm but in a bigger, more family friendly package and with the option of All4 4WD for a degree of off-road ability (well, certainly the ability to treat boot sale car parks with disdain). Now, for the first time, BMW is to build the MINI outside Europe with a new MINi assembly facility coming on stream in Chennai, India, where BMW already makes 3 and 5 Series models as well as the X1 and X3. The plan is part of BMW’s plan of ‘Production follows the market’ where BMW aim to make their cars where they’re sold, so with the MINI brand showing strong growth in India since its launch it makes sense to build them there.

'Teach children to drive' says insurer

BRITISH children should be taught how to drive at school to help reduce road deaths and serious injury among young drivers. Insurer Flexed says we should follow the example of schools in the USA and introduce driver education lessons. These classes will teach basic driving skills, road etiquette and safety, which will improve awareness and also help with improving driving test exam results.