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Stile Bertone goes independent

Stile Bertone is to forge an independent future under a new managing director by splitting with its coachbuilding arm and following a new business strategy. The changes were rubber-stamped at a meeting in Turin on Monday. The new managing director is former Aprilia CEO Teresio Gaudio, who has been a consultant to the Bertone family while the future of the business was sorted out.

Hennessey Venom GT hits new, unofficial, speed record (video)

The Hennessey Venom GT (pictured) hist 270.49mph on a NASA runway Top speed records for production cars is starting to seem pretty irrelevant as there’s almost nowhere an owner can ever hope to hit those record speeds. And the performance of cars like the new McLaren P1 – where  performance and handling are much more the focus than outright top speed – has added the the irrelevance. But that doesn’t stop some car makers aiming for the bragging rights of the world’s fastest production car, and John Hennessey and his Hennessey Venom GT are back with another claim on the title.

Seat Toledo concept [w/gallery]

The Seat Toledo returns to the market as a compact (4,480mm) sedan that sits between the B-segment Ibiza and larger Leon hatchback. The Toledo – and its Skoda and Audi siblings – marks a return to the lower end of the sedan market and sensible family transport. Whether this translates into Seat's supposed youthful image remains to be seen, but from the initial press images, little of the ‘dynamic lines' form introduced on the Ibiza by former design chief Luc Donckerwolke appear.