2012 VW Beetle: UK prices and models revealed

2012 VW Beetle: UK prices and models revealed Perhaps the title of VW’s press release for the 2012 Beetle details for the UK best illustrates exactly what VW hope to achieve with the new Beetle: “Less Flower, More Power”. Which is probably the only way VW are going to get anyone in Europe – certainly any male in Europe – to take a serious look at a car which is perceived as a pointless rehash of a once iconic car in to a fashion accessory for those who don’t love cars. So now you know the flower vase has lost its pride of place, and the 2012 Beetle is a bit more of a car and a bit less of a fashion accessory, you may want to know what’s on offer.

Porsche Le Mans challenger (2014) in testing

Porsche's 2014 Le Mans challenger has completed its first test today at the maker’s Weissach test track in Germany. Porsche will take on stablemate Audi and rivals Toyota in the 2014 World Endurance Championship, which sees a significant change in the regulations that may well shake up Audi’s domination of the series and its stranglehold on the Le Mans 24hrs. So what is the Porsche Le Mans car about?

Bentley Continental GT3-R with 572 bhp V8 revealed

The Bentley Continental GT3-R arrives with a 572 bhp V8 As we reported last week, it looks like Bentley has decided to do a V8 take on the original Continental Supersports with the arrival of the Bentley Continental GT3-R, a lighter, more powerful Continental V8. Just like the original Continental Supersports, the Continental GT3-R loses its back seats and goes on a diet (down 100 kg on the V8S) and gets a retuned version of the 4.0 litre twin-turbo V8 producing 572 bhp and 516 lb/ft of torque together with shorter gearing to deliver a 0-60 mph in just 3.6 seconds (0-62mph in 3.8s). The GT3-R still comes with Bentley’s four wheel drive, but it gets torque vectoring too and a modified ESC and a chassis tuned for outright cornering ability to make the GT3-R Bentley’s most dynamic road car to date.