Triumph Spitfire Bullet Side View Mirrors on 2040-parts.com

Spectre 341 Challenge: The thrill of the hill

All you need to take on the death-defying Spectre 341 Challenge is a license, registration, proof of insurance and Department Of Transportation-legal tires. The winding 5.2-mile road in Virginia City, Nev., named Highway 341 has 22 hair-raising turns, about 14 of which can literally kill you. “This place forces the intangibles to the surface,” event creator and Spectre Performance owner Amir Rosenbaum says.

Mini Superleggera Vision Concept – a very different MINi Concept – at Villa D’Este

The Mini Superleggera Vision Concept (pictured) is a Villa D’Este special We’ve had our fill of VW Group concepts for Worthersee – like the Skoda CitiJet, Yeti XTreme and Audi A3 Clubsport - this last week, but now we’ve got a concept from MINI that isn’t just the usual slightly left-field take on a regular MINI, but a real original to grab our interest – the Mini Superleggera Vision Concept – and it’s heading to Villa D’Este. Built in collaboration with Touring Superleggera – which has built stunning concepts like the Alfa Romeo Disco Volante - the new MINI is a retro-looking small roadster with lots of historic design cues but with an EV powertrain under its clothes. There’s a fin on the back that looks like a Jaguar D Type, a pair of swage lines down the side, a long bonnet, a back end that has a hint of Aston Martin and even Union Jacks in the tail lights.

Paris motor show (2012) A-Z news and reviews

This year's Paris motor show kicks off on 27 September, with world debuts for some of the most important cars around, including the new Mk7 VW Golf, Range Rover, and McLaren P1 supercar. We've rounded up all of the cars on one page to provide shortcuts to our full stories. Come back for more news from the Mondial de l'automobile 2012 in Paris.