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CAR Most Wanted of 2014: Ferrari 458 Speciale

By the CAR road-test team First Official Pictures 23 December 2013 10:50 The first time we checked out the Ferrari 458 Speciale, it was parked tantalisingly in the bowels of the Ferrari’s Maranello factory. Tech boss Roberto Fedeli told us how Ferrari had calculated the Speciale would be an even higher performer: 10% lighter, 11% faster response, 40% quicker through the gearbox, and squeezing out an extra 34bhp from its 4.5-litre V8. Since then, we’ve driven the 202mph 458 Speciale, which Ferrari claims is different (not better than) a 458 Italia, and designed to appeal to a different kind of customer.

2013 SEAT Leon leaks out

The 2013 SEAT Leon – SEAT’s take on the new VW Golf and Audi A3 – has leaked out ahead of the official reveal. As has become the norm, we have photos of the 2013 SEAT Leon leaked out well ahead of its public debut at the Paris Motor Show in September and before SEAT has had a chance to delight us all directly. A very toned down version of the SEAT IBE Concept we saw at Geneva in 2010 and based on the VW group MQB platform that underpins the new VW Golf and Audi A3, the new SEAT Leon is the third generation of SEAT’s take on the Golf.

Jaguar: Four-wheel drive a priority. Hybrid Jaguars not.

Our long term Jaguar XJ would have been better in the snow with 4WD - but it's coming We’ve been talking about a four-wheel drive platform for Jaguars for a long time now. As far back as 2009, Jaguar privately confessed that the lack of an XF Estate was down to the lack of a 4WD platform to make the XF Estate a proper competitor in the luxury load-lugging market. And although we thought Jaguar could still make a success of the XF Estate without a 4WD option, we understood their perspective; Jaguar didn’t want to be the poor relation in the luxury estate market.