Standard Motor Products Lx237 Pick-up on 2040-parts.com

Tesla Model S performance version to rival BMW M5

Tesla Model S with M5 Performance Our inherent scepticism about Elon Musk’s claims for the Tesla Model S refuses to go away, but Tesla are convinced they can deliver the Model S with a 300-mile range, great looks, great performance and top-end tecchy goodness at a sub-$70k price tag. And now, it seems, there is going to be a Tesla Model S with performance to rival the BMW M5. At an event yesterday in California, Elon Musk revealed that at launch – the Model S is expected to be hit the road in 2012 with UK cars arriving in 2013 – the Model S will in fact have four variants on offer.

One Lap of the Web: It's always St. Patrick's Day when you're Irish

-- If your crippling hangover didn't remind you today, yesterday was St. Patrick's Day. You know what that means: today is a good time to catch up on both green-themed car news.

Mercedes S Class Coupe & GLA SUV Spy photos – from Mercedes

The new Mercedes S-Class Coupe & GLA Compact SUV have been testing in Death Valley With the petrolhead world getting used to seeing spy photos of new cars to come on a daily basis, car makers are getting in on the act with their own photos of suitably camouflaged new models. Mercedes already has a history of releasing spy photos of upcoming models, and we’ve recently had photos from Mercedes of the ‘baby’ SLS – the new Mercedes SLC – as well as previous spy shots of the SLS and SLK before they were launched. Now we have the head of Mercedes-Benz in the US, Steve Cannon, taking to Twitter to show the world what they’re busy hot weather testing in Death Valley.