Fiat 500 Abarth gets automatic transmission option for 2015

If you're a fan of the design (and the performance numbers) of the Fiat 500 Abarth and its cabriolet version but not its manual transmission, you'll want to hear this. Fiat has announced that the 2015 Fiat 500 Abarth and Abarth Cabrio will be offered with an optional six-speed automatic transmission in addition to a slightly redesigned interior. The new models will appear at the New York auto show next week.

December debut for Bentley GT3 racer

THE CONTINENTAL GT3 racing car will make its competitive debut at December’s Gulf 12 Hours race in Abu Dhabi, it has been confirmed. The 600bhp, twin-turbo V8 racer is the first Bentley model to hit the race track since 2003, when the Crewe-based outfit won the 24 Hours of Le Mans. This time Bentley will, officially at least, only use the two-part endurance race as a test to gauge the performance of the Continental GT3 ahead of a full entry into the 2014 FIA Blancpain GT3 racing championship.

This day in Autoweek history: Driving across France in a Ford Sierra RS Cosworth

Today we relive a drive across France in the Ford Sierra Sapphire RS Cosworth with Cynthia Claes. This potent four-door sedan offered rear-wheel drive, a Borg-Warner five-speed manual transmission and a claimed top speed of 150 mph from its turbocharged 2.0-liter, twin-cam four-cylinder engine. Introduced in 1986, the original Sierra saw 5,542 units constructed; 5,000 were needed for homologation in Class A rally competition, its original purpose.