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Celebrating the Spirit of Ecstasy's centenary

In a bumper year of anniversaries for automotive manufacturers, Rolls-Royce is celebrating the centenary of the Spirit of Ecstasy. Quite possibly the world’s most famous automotive icon, the flying lady will be honored by renowned photographer Rankin through 100 images inspired by the figurine. Just as Charles Robinson Sykes – the man behind the original figurine – turned to his wife for the form of the Ecstasy, Rankin is using wife and model Tuuli Shipster for his work.

Mercedes Ener-G-Force concept (2012) first pictures

Mercedes' latest concept car is, in its own words, 'pure, rendered science fiction'. This is the new Ener-G-Force, a one-off model depicting a civilian version of a futuristic police car. It's a product of the 2012 Los Angeles Design Challenge, which briefed manufacturers to dream up their vision for a highway patrol vehicle fit for the year 2025.

Porsche 918 Spyder gets its own website

The Porsche 918 Spyder (pictured) now has its very own website It’s more than two years since the Porsche 918 Spider went on sale, but it’s now getting close to arriving in Porsche showrooms so Porsche has created a new microsite dedicated to all things 918. Since it went on sale, the 918 Spyder has been developed further and the production 918 will come with 4WD courtesy of its electric motors – one delivering 154hp (rear) and the other 127hp (front) – which, combined with 608hp from its 4.6 litre V8, promises 0-62mph in 2.8 seconds (and 7 seconds on just the electric motors) and on to 211mph. The new 91 microsite reveals Porsche’s self-imposed challenge was to beat the Carrera GT by at least 10 seconds on the Nurburgring, and there’s video of the 918 out playing at the Nurburgring, as well as plenty of photos and detail on exactly what the 918 offers.