Volvo 240 Original E-brake Center Console - Brown - 1373618 on 2040-parts.com

OFFICIAL: Alfa Romeo 4C laps the Nurburgring in 8:04s

The Alfa Romeo 4C (pictured) laps the Nurburgring in 8:04s We wouldn’t normally report on a car lapping the Nurburgring in around 8 minutes; after all, the Nurburgring lap record for a full production car is sub-7 minutes, so 8 minutes seems almost a stroll. But the lap time round the Nurburgring for the Alfa Romeo 4C is worthy of note because it’s a new lap record for a production car with less than 250bhp, and puts the Alfa 4C very much on the map as a performance car. We’d heard rumours a few weeks ago that Horst von Saurma has managed the impressive time in the 4C round the Nurburgring, but Alfa has now confirmed the time – with the 4C shod with road-legal Pirelli Zero Trofeo tyres – was completed on 23rd September 2013.

Concept Car of the Week: Keio Advanced Zero (2001)

‘Eight-wheeler electric limo-MPVs are the future!' said nobody. Ever. But professor Hiroshi Shimizu from Keio University in Japan believed such a machine could help him promote his innovative electric car concept.

Porsche 911 Turbo Cabriolet revealed with 197mph top speed

Porsche has revealed the new 911 991 Turbo Cabriolet and Turbo S Cabriolet range – a 197mph open-top Porsche 911. Boasting 520hp even in standard Turbo guise, and a huge 560hp in Turbo S form, the new 911 991 Turbo Cabriolet range follows hot on the heels of the new 911 991 Turbo coupe range, which MSN Cars drove back in August. Click on the image above to see how Porsche has turned a hard-top Turbo into an open-top barnstormer…