Autoesque

Abarth has announced it will be launching new Esseesse upgrade kits for the Abarth 500C and Abarth Punto Evo at the Paris Motor Show. With one in three Abarth 500 hatches already getting the Esseesse treatment, it’s hardly surprising that availability has been extended to the convertible. The Abarth 500C Esseesse also gets its engine power increased from 133 bhp (99 kW / 135 PS) to 157 bhp (117 kW / 160 PS), but a little extra weight means it’s not quite as rapid as the hardtop version. Nevertheless, it’s still a quick car, with top speed of 129 mph (209 km/h) and a 0-62 mph (100 km/h) time of 7.6 seconds. UK pricing has yet to be confirmed, but the standard Abarth 500C is listed at £17,500 and the existing Esseesse kit for the hatch costs £2,500. On that basis, a grand total of around £20,000 would seem a reasonable guess. The glaringly obvious rival for the Abarth 500C Esseesse is the Mini Cooper S convertible . That’s priced at a spookily similar £19,965, but it’s faster: 0-6...

For anyone who thinks that the standard BMW X5 M looks too subtle, or with ‘just’ 547 bhp (408 kW / 555 PS) could do with a bit more grunt, German tuner G-Power has the answer. First off, it introduced the ‘small’ Typhoon body kit at the end of last year which, with various engine modifications, lifted power to 591 bhp (441 kW / 600 PS). Now G-Power has launched the ‘big’ Typhoon kit. The valences, side skirts (with their rather naff built-in LEDs) and bulging wheel arches might not be to everyone’s taste, but they’re not just there for show. The larger intakes and bonnet vents allow for optimised air flow and, therefore, better cooling characteristics. Together with a remapped ECU, tweaked turbo installation and replacement exhaust system, the result is 715 bhp (533 kW / 725 PS) and 890 Nm of torque. That means the 4.4 litre bi-turbo V8 can accelerate the X5 M Typhoon from 0-62 mph (100 km/h) in 4.2 seconds, 0.5 seconds quicker than standard. Getting rid of the electronic spee...

Aston Martin is developing a brand new LMP1 class car, which it’ll use to challenge for outright victory at the 2011 Le Mans 24 Hours. The last time it achieved that feat was in 1959, with Carroll Shelby and Roy Salvadori driving a DBR1, although more recently the DBR9 won the GT1 category in both 2007 and 2008. The decision to compete was helped by the revised technical regulations introduced by the Automobile Club De L’Ouest (ACO), organiser of the race. These have been designed to give petrol-powered cars a more equal footing against their diesel counterparts, something that was arguably overdue given that the Audi R10 TDI and Peugeot 908 HDi FAP - both diesel-powered - have dominated in recent years. In fact, the last petrol car to win the Le Mans 24 Hours was the Audi R8 back in 2005. Work on the chassis and bespoke race engine for the Aston Martin LMP1 has already begun, and there’ll be six cars built. The first test runs are planned to take place in early 2011.

The Saab 9-5 might never have gone on sale, had GM’s disposal of the company to Spyker Cars fallen through. But luckily the transaction was completed because, like the Jaguar XF, the 9-5 offers a refreshing alternative to the usual German suspects in the mid-size luxury saloon segment. Now, two months after its launch, Saab is expanding the range with a couple of new engines for the 9-5. The first of these, and probably the one that’ll be of most interest to European buyers, is the 2.0TTiD diesel. Using sequential twin turbochargers, it produces 187 bhp (139 kW / 190 PS), and joins the existing 157 bhp (117 kW / 160 PS) single turbo version in the line-up. Typically for a diesel, the key to the new engine’s performance is torque. And the 2.0TTiD doesn’t disappoint, with 400 Nm on offer from just 1,750 rpm. A 0-62 mph (100 km/h) of ‘under nine seconds’ suggests it’s no rocket ship, but the real benefit of that 187 bhp is probably going to be felt in the mid-range where, in normal...

The 2011 Formula 1 season is going to be a busy one because, with the addition of India, there’ll be twenty races in the schedule. Running from the middle of March to the end of November, Bahrain remains the opening event, although Brazil becomes the finale instead of Abu Dhabi. The teams still get a month-long break in the summer between Hungary and Belgium, but the trade-off is that four races will take place the week after their preceding events. As confirmed by the FIA World Motor Sport Council this week, the calendar is: Date Race 13 March Bahrain 27 March Australia 10 April Malaysia 17 April China 08 May Turkey 22 May Spain 29 May Monaco 12 June Canada 26 June Europe 10 July Great Britain 24 July Germany 31 July Hungary 28 August Belgium 11 September Italy 25 September Singapore 09 October Japan 16 October Korea 30 October India 13 November Abu Dhabi 27 November Brazil

11 October 2010 Update: For details and images of the production-ready Kawasaki W800, please click here . 19 January 2011 Update: For confirmed Kawasaki W800 pricing, please click here . The first image of Kawasaki’s forthcoming W800 has been released. Like the defunct W650 which it replaces, the W800 will be powered by a parallel twin engine. With a bigger motor, output should be up on the 49 bhp (37 kW / 50 PS) of the W650 which, despite its name, had an engine capacity of 675 cc. The obvious rival for the Kawasaki will be the bike it’s trying to imitate: the Triumph Bonneville. The Bonneville has an 865 cc air-cooled twin producing 66 bhp (49 kW / 67PS) and, in the UK, it’s priced at £5,899 in basic form. However, to get the true retro look, buyers have to opt for the T100 version. Costing £800 extra, its specification includes two-tone paint, fork gaiters, wire spoke wheels and plenty of chrome. Doubtless the Kawasaki will be able to compete on price, but somehow ...

Caterham has launched a special version of its iconic Seven. Based on the Roadsport 125, the Monaco is supposed to ‘evoke the elegance, class and rich motorsport heritage of Monte Carlo’. Regardless of whether it achieves that or not, the brushed aluminium bodywork with black nose and wheel guards certainly looks the part. The red and white stripes (a reminder of the Monegasque flag) and the ‘Monaco’ script aren’t too subtle though, and might not be to everyone’s taste. But the price should more than make up for that. While the standard Roadsport 125 costs £21,200, the Monaco (which features a normally optional black leather interior with red highlights) is £20,995. Even better, the first twenty cars ordered will be offered at a bargain £19,995. Power comes from a 1.6 litre Ford Sigma engine, which produces 125 bhp (93 kW / 126 PS) and 162 Nm (120 lb/ft) of torque. That might not sound like much but, as the Seven only weighs 550 kg, 0-60 mph (96 km/h) takes just 5.9 seconds. Top...

The Ford F-150 SVT Raptor offers an alluring blend of performance and off-road ability. Updates for 2011 have just been announced, with the changes centring on the engine and cab style choice. The 310 bhp (231 kW / 314 PS) 5.4 litre V8 has been ditched in favour of the previously optional 6.2 litre version. Producing a much more impressive 411 bhp (306 kW / 416 PS) and 434 lb/ft (588 Nm) of torque, this larger capacity engine is a peculiar mixture of old and new. It may feature a modern aluminium cylinder head, but the block is still cast iron and there’s only a single overhead camshaft. Nevertheless, the result is the most powerful pick-up in its class. It’s a similar story with the chassis. Although the Raptor is seven inches wider than a base F-150 to accommodate Fox Racing Shox internal triple-bypass dampers, there’s still a prehistoric leaf-spring suspended live axle at the back. Better news is the 11.2 inches (284 mm) of suspension travel at the front and 12.1 inches (307 mm...

Chevrolet’s Cruze is the best selling compact saloon in several major European markets, including Germany, Italy and the UK. The problem is that it’s a small segment, because hatchbacks take the lion’s share of compact sales in Europe. That also explains why Chevrolet’s sister brands Vauxhall and Opel have yet to produce a saloon version of the current generation Astra, the model which shares its ‘Delta II’ platform with the Cruze. So, perhaps realising that having just one body style is hampering sales, Chevrolet has announced it’ll be unveiling a Cruze hatchback at this month’s Paris Motor Show. Although the hatch is being referred to as a ‘show car’ (which means it’s not a concept, but it’s not quite the final production spec either), sales are due to start from the middle of 2011. Reflecting the Cruze’s global presence, the hatchback show car has actually been designed and built by GM’s Australian subsidiary, Holden, at its studios in Melbourne. The result is an elegant loo...

Will the inaugural South Korean Grand Prix actually take place on 24 October? Construction of the Yeongam circuit, designed by Hermann Tilke, is still not yet finished. It should have had its FIA inspection by the end of July, as the regulations state that that should happen at least 90 days ahead of a venue’s first international event. That particular target has clearly been missed by some margin. Yeongam Circuit However, in order to help ensure the South Korean round remains on the 2010 Formula 1 calendar, the FIA has now decided to relax the rules by delaying its final inspection until 21 September. The organisers remain upbeat, saying the track is currently “90% complete”. Only 10% to go, then. As a sign of progress, a Red Bull F1 car is due to complete a lap this weekend, driven by Karun Chandhok. Incidentally, his race seat at Hispania Racing now seems to be in jeopardy, because Sakon Yamamoto will almost certainly be contesting the season’s remaining races. The move is...

Dodge has revealed its all-new 2011 Durango SUV. The good news for those who like breeding, or have lots of friends and enjoy being the designated driver, is that it still comes with three rows of seats. However, unlike the previous generation Durango, this one uses unitary construction instead of having a separate chassis and body. In fact, it shares its basic architecture with the recently launched Jeep Grand Cherokee, as well as the Mercedes-Benz GL-Class / M-Class / R-Class family. Given that, perhaps it’s no great surprise that the latest Durango has ended up looking very similar to the Grand Cherokee. But that’s not a criticism, and the styling is much better than on earlier versions, especially around the front. Dodge is claiming luxurious materials for the cabin, as well as twenty-two different seating configurations. Inexplicably, though, it has not bothered releasing any interior images at this stage. Engine choice will be either a 3.6 litre Pentastar V-6, or the 5.7 ...

Ford is definitely keen to maintain its share of the North American law enforcement market after the Crown Victoria ceases production in late 2011. Firstly, it announced the Taurus-based Police Interceptor back in March. Now that vehicle has been joined by a second dedicated Police Interceptor, this time developed from the new Explorer. It’s not just a case of giving it a black-and-white paint job and slinging a light bar across the roof, though. The utility Interceptor, as Ford is terming the Explorer model, has been specially engineered to cope with police work. Things like withstanding a 75 mph rear impact test, for example - a critical feature given the numerous morons who seemingly fail to see a fully lit-up police vehicle stopped by the roadside. The brakes have also been beefed-up to cope with the increased workload, while the power transfer unit for the all-wheel drive system gets water cooling. There’s also a larger radiator, and the standard alternator has been junked...

The Citroen DS4 is a good looking thing, if not especially distinctive. However, while Citroen describes it as having a ‘coupé-like’ body, it remains a five-door five-seat hatchback… exactly what the forthcoming C4 will be too. And that could be a problem. There’s no doubt that the first of the DS line, the DS3 , has received critical acclaim and demand is strong. But then it looks sufficiently different to the C3 upon which it’s based, and has two fewer doors. The DS4, however, could be relying on the allure of the DS sub-brand too much, a concept that remains to be fully proven. Interestingly, Citroen seems to be placing particular emphasis on the car’s interior and refinement, describing it as luxurious and prestigious. It is shying away from describing the DS4 as a premium product though; rather, it has ‘premium design codes’. Whatever that means. The choice of engines brings no surprises, with two diesels (HDi 110 or HDi 160) and three petrols (VTi 120, THP 155 or THP 20...