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McLaren MP4-12C GT3 (2011) track testing begins

McLaren has begun testing its latest track weapon, the MP4-12C GT3 ahead of the 2012 FIA GT3 season.  How different is the MP4-12C GT3 from the roadgoing edition? The MP4-12C GT3 is based on the standard machine but modified for FIA GT racing by McLaren GT - a joint venture between McLaren Automotive and CRS Racing, a UK-based team currently competing in FIA GT with Ferrari F430s.  Externally you'll notice the race-spec fixed rear wing, undertray diffuser, front splitter, louvres and vents. Underneath there's a new suspension system, ditching the road car's linked suspension for FIA-compliant conventional dampers and anti-roll bars. Akebono is supplying race-specific brake components, and Bosch Motorsport has installed its ABS system. The car sits 100mm wider on its new suspension and has suitably flared bodywork as a result.  It's still the McLaren's bespoke 3.8-litre twin-turbo V8 engine, tuned for racing.

Hyundai i20 facelift and Veloster Turbo at 2012 Geneva motor show

Hyundai has significant new model news and a piece of range expansion to announce at the 2012 Geneva motor show with the unveiling of a facelifted i20 supermini and a spanking fresh turbo diesel for its Veloster coupe-cum-hatchback.  One at a time now – will the Veloster line up neatly behind the i20 please. What’s happening to that then? Perhaps slightly stung by critics in some quarters dismissing the Mk1 i20 as being rather Euro-bland, the Korean’s all-new i20 is a rather pretty-looking thing. Nose-wise it has a wide-mouthed, grinning hexagonal grille and little creases filtering up from it and the headlamp cluster, which look uncannily like laughter lines.

The real Bond car: Aston Martin that inspired 007 for sale

A gadget-packed Aston Martin that’s said to have been the inspiration behind James Bond’s Aston Martin in Goldfinger has been revealed in London prior to going up for auction at Blenheim Palace in July. The 1954 Aston Martin DB2/4 has been expertly restored by its current owners – who actually didn’t know the car could have inspired Fleming until they began restoring it. Years of research – and the nine-month nut and bolt renovation – followed, producing what auctioneers believe is a car that, if the right people are in the auction crowd, could make the owners very rich indeed.