TWO laps of a small circuit in a pre-production prototype with a drivetrain Australians will never see isn’t the ideal first-drive scenario.

This pre-production Mazda 2 wears camo over its Kodo design, and beneath the bonnet are a weedy 55kW Euro-market version of Mazda’s new 1.5-litre SkyActiv-G four and a five-speed manual gearbox. Nevertheless, one of the new 2’s strengths is obvious even before departing the Mine circuit’s pit lane.

The prototype’s interior plastics are mostly untextured, but the basics of the instrument panel design are there to see. Instead of the current 2’s Hello Kitty level of dashboard cuteness, the new one is attractive in a more mature manner. Circular air vents make it even a little more European-flavoured than the 3.

The new 2 – due in Australia in October – is significantly larger than the current model, which was built on the DE architecture jointly developed with Ford. The new 2’s Mazda-engineered platform has 80mm more wheelbase, and the car is 160mm longer and 25mm taller. Only width remains unchanged.

Front seat room is good, and the driving position is fine. Rear seat room seems above average for a B-segment car, but with that big wheelbase stretch, it seems like there should be more. Perhaps Mazda spent the extra millimetres on cargo space because the boot appears spacious.

The Mine circuit in south-west Japan used to be a normal racetrack until Mazda bought it in 2006. It’s relatively tight, with only one long straight. In the pre-production 2, it feels very long indeed.

The car’s Euro-market 55kW/135Nm engine is nicely refined, but short on power. It really struggles to cover the gaps between the five-speed manual’s ratios. The Australian-market 2 will be a very different drive (see sidebar).

The new 2 seems more grown-up than the model it replaces. Refinement extends to the chassis, and tyre and wind noise are low for a light car. The handling is predictable and decently precise. The prototype’s 185/65R15 Michelin Energy Savers aren’t especially grippy, but the 2 feels nicely balanced through every phase of cornering at Mine.

If there’s a problem, it’s the steering; the electric system doesn’t seem as direct as we remember the current model’s being, and there’s also a shortage of feel.

Two laps is not nearly long enough to decide whether the Mazda 2 will be Australia’s next light-car class leader. But with its interior class, rolling refinement, promisingly high-tech drivetrains and seemingly flaw-free chassis, it’s certainly going to be at the pointy end of the field.

Model: Mazda 2 Engine: 1496cc in-line 4, dohc, 16v Max power: 79kW at 6000rpm* Max torque: 139Nm at 4000rpm* Transmission: 6-speed manual or auto Weight: Not available 0-100km/h: Not available Price: Not available On sale: October * Australian-market base engine, rpm guesstimated

HOLDEN’S Commodore-based 20th anniversary tribute to V8 Supercars driver Craig Lowndes has leaked online, months ahead of the car’s arrival in showrooms.

A West Australian Holden dealership broke a company-wide embargo overnight to reveal details of the limited-edition model, posting images on Facebook that have since been taken down.

However, the images showing the smiling race ace next to a badge on the bootlid bearing his name were posted online long enough to confirm a swirl of speculation that a special edition of the $48,690 6.0-litre V8-engined SS-V Redline was being lined up for release.

The Lowndes edition appears to be a heavily blacked-out version of the Commodore wearing a darkened grille, heavy track stripes on the bonnet, pinstripes running above the rocker panels, and a blacked-out spoiler bolted onto the bootlid.

It looks a lot like a bolder version of the Commodore SV6-based “Collingwood Edition” launched in April, and costing $3000 more than a standard SV6.

Holden this year re-signed as the major sponsor of AFL team Collingwood in a deal believed to be worth several million dollars.

The Lowndes-badged sedan and ute range is expected to dip into Bathurst nostalgia with a count of only 161 cars – the same number of laps as the annual 1000-kilometre endurance slugfest – and individual numbers for cars as they roll off the production line.

The WA dealership’s post gave clues as to the thinking behind the car’s release.

“Looking to own a piece of Holden Motorsport History? Holden is releasing a Limited (sic) edition Craig Lowndes VF SS-V to celebrate Craig’s first drive with Holden 20 Years ago,” the text accompanying the now-deleted image read.

According to the post, buyers will also have access to a “money can’t buy experience”, expected to be a hot lap with the V8 Supercars driver behind the wheel.

Holden confirmed it was working on a project with the V8 Supercars driver, although it was still a long way off appearing in showrooms.

“We’re currently working with Craig Lowndes on a very exciting special edition Commodore pack,” Holden product communications senior manager Kate Lonsdale told Wheels.

“We’re not in a position to officially announce any details as yet, but looking forward to launching what promises to be a very special car in the coming months.”

Lowndes, a three-time V8 Supercars champion, joined the Holden-backed HRT team in 1994, and claimed his first Bathurst title in 1996.

In 2001, he controversially switched loyalty to rival Australian car maker Ford, where in 2007 he added his name to a range of limited-run XR-badged utes.

Lowndes flopped back to Holden in 2010, adding a fifth Bathurst title to the trophy cabinet under his Vodafone team colours.

Earlier this year he also won the Bathurst 12 Hour in a Ferrari 458 GT3.

Holden has said it would release a number of limited-run Commodore models as it counts down towards shuttering its Australian car-making operations after more than 60 years of continuous production.

The idea behind the special editions is to keep the Commodore line-up fresh in the eyes of buyers ahead of a mild mid-life facelift due in about September next year, which among other things is expected to add steering wheel-mounted paddle shifters to six-speed automatic versions of the range.

NISSAN Australia has lashed out at ANCAP, labelling the safety watchdog’s criticism of its new Qashqai SUV as “disappointing and unfair”.

ANCAP awarded the new Qashqai (which replaces the popular Dualis) a maximum five-star safety rating this week, but criticised the car for failing to offer Autonomous Emergency Braking (AEB) – a system ANCAP says is a key lifesaving technology.

“AEB is available on the European-sold Qashqai yet it is not available at all on Australian and New Zealand models,” said ANCAP chairman Lauchlan McIntosh.

“It is astounding to see yet another mainstream manufacturer despecify their models for our local market. Are lives in Australia and New Zealand worth less than those in Europe?”

The remarks drew a swift response from Nissan Australia managing director Richard Emery, who in an exclusive interview with Wheels at the Qashqai’s local launch dismissed the comments as unwarranted.

“Firstly, our preference would certainly be to have AEB on the Qashqai and any of our new cars, but it simply wasn’t available to us,” he said.

“So the suggestion from them [ANCAP] that it was a conscious decision from us to delete that option simply isn’t right.

“The comments are disappointing from our perspective and they take focus away from the great score the Qashqai achieved in the ANCAP test.

“It has a significant list of safety technology and we believe it is the safety and technology benchmark in this category.”

Top-spec Qashqai’s feature the following safety technology: six airbags, park assist, lane-departure warning, blind-spot detection, around-view monitor, moving-object detection, driver-attention support and high-beam assist.

Emery said Nissan is going to extreme lengths to ensure AEB is fitted to its future models and said its exclusion from the Qashqai was simply due to engineering restrictions.

“It’s available in Europe, but not for the rest of the world,” he said.

“It’s not a financial decision, it’s simply to do with the engineering. There are some options available to us, and others that aren’t.”

And as for McIntosh’s comment that Nissan thinks Australian lives aren’t as important as those in Europe?

“I’d rather not comment on that emotional suggestion,” said Emery.

“All companies have a responsibility to make the safest car possible. A life is the same wherever it is in the world and there shouldn’t be any perception or suggestion otherwise.”

RENAULT CLIO RS200 CUP TROPHY – Score: 86/100

PRICE AND EQUIPMENT Renault’s top-spec seven-speed dual-clutch RS200 Cup Trophy gets more gear for $8355 less than the six-speed manual BRZ S. This includes rear camera and parking sensors, speed-limiter cruise control, rain-sensing wipers, heated front seats, leather upholstery, sat nav with 7in touchscreen and data-logging RS Monitor system. 17/20

INTERIOR AND VERSATILITY Clio RS’s move from three to five doors boosts practicality and aesthetics. The driving position is high in contrast with the BRZ, but comfort and ergonomics are sound. Avant-garde Renault cabin is classier, but we’d back Subaru trim quality long-term. The boot is bigger with the seats upright, and smashes it with the seats folded. 17/20

PERFORMANCE AND ECONOMY The effortless Clio 1.6 turbo hits peak torque at 1750rpm, almost 5000rpm earlier than the BRZ, but lacks the character of the early atmo RS 2.0-litre. Flat-out, there’s little between them – we’ve seen 0-100km/h in 7.0sec from the BRZ’s Toyota 86 twin and 6.9sec from the RS. On official figures, BRZ is thirstier – 7.8L/100km to 6.3. 17/20

RIDE AND REFINEMENT Clio’s quieter cabin comes courtesy of the engine – the turbo muffles the exhaust, while bulging torque means big revs aren’t necessary. The BRZ pipes induction noise into the cabin and can’t match its rival’s NVH suppression. However, the Renault’s ride is less settled than the Subaru’s, especially in the ultimate Cup spec here. 17/20

STEERING AND HANDLING The Clio’s steering weights up in ‘sport’ and ‘race’ modes, is quick, sharp, and connected to an adhesive front end, though isn’t in the realm of the BRZ in terms of feedback. The turbo front-driver doesn’t have the balanced weight distribution of the BRZ but canny chassis tuning and sticky rubber makes the Renault difficult to shake. 18/20

SUBARU BRZ S – Score: 84/100

PRICE AND EQUIPMENT S-Spec kit adds $7995 to the $37,150 BRZ but brings mechanical and cosmetic upgrades, including spoilers, skirts, diffuser, STi short-throw gear lever, lowered ride height, strut brace and black Enkei 17s. Not as well equipped as Clio, but has a full-size spare, self-levelling bi-xenon headlights and a driver’s knee airbag. 16/20

INTERIOR AND VERSATILITY Two-door Subaru can’t hope to compete with the practicality offered by its five-door rival. But you sit low, legs straight, small-diameter sculpted steering wheel and stubby gear lever in your hands, and well-spaced pedals at your feet – excellent. Plus, two rear seats make the BRZ a second-car possibility for those with small kids. 15/20

PERFORMANCE AND ECONOMY The BRZ equals its rival’s 147kW, but takes a further 1000 revs to get there. Lacking a turbo, the 1998cc FA20 engine falls 35Nm short of the Clio’s 240Nm and fails to match its flexibility. Induction soundtrack is pedestrian at low revs, but ripens to a nice rorty note beyond 5000rpm, where the boxer is best kept for quick progress. 16/20

RIDE AND REFINEMENT Perhaps the most worthwhile S pack upgrade is a set of coil springs, which lower the coupe’s centre of gravity. Presumably they’re stiffer to prevent bottoming out – shorter springs invariably are. That’s certainly how they feel, though the standard dampers aren’t out of their depth, and ride remains tautly absorbent. 17/20

STEERING AND HANDLING In S spec, the BRZ is more focused on corner speed than going sideways thanks to the flexible front strut brace in concert with the shorter, stiffer springs. The reduction in pitch and roll makes the Subaru an even more precise tool; driver’s mainline feel via one of the world’s most intimately connected steering systems. 20/20

VERDICT

THE Subaru BRZ S is a car you must drive if you’re so much as considering buying one – and not just around the block. To discount the calibre of its dynamics might be to view it as a cramped 2+2 with a tiny boot and a torque-deprived de-turboed WRX engine. That could easily seem the case against the Clio Renaultsport 200 Cup Trophy. The French firebrand gives you more equipment for less money, a trio of extra doors, more space, welcome torque, and considerably greater practicality – it’s the more liveable proposition. Meanwhile, the Subie will win on resale and, likely, reliability, yet it’s also the one for those whose hearts make the call.

The new Mercedes C-Class will be priced from $60,900 with a line-up that includes the first C-Class hybrid in the battle against the BMW 3 Series and Audi A4. Prices represent an average $1000 increase over the previous C-Class for the sedan, which arrives in August, with the estate costing around $2500 more than the sedan for a starting price of $64,400 when it lands in November.

The C-Class range kicks off with the C200 sedan, which will make up the bulk of sales. It comes with LED headlamps, 18-inch alloys, keyless start and electric front seats and sat-nav as standard kit and is powered by a 135kW/300Nm 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder petrol engine with a 0-100km/h time of 7.3sec and official combined fuel claim of 6.0L/100km.

Next in the line-up is the C200 BlueTec complete with a new 100kW direct-injection 1.6-litre four-cylinder petrol engine. The new powerplant helps achieve an impressive 4.0L/100km claim, which should help justify its $64,400 starting price.

The C250 comes with a choice of two engines: a 155kW 2.0-litre petrol from $68,900 or the BlueTech model, which runs a twin-turbo 2.1-litre diesel and 7G-tronic automatic transmission from $70,400. The diesel has a claimed 4.5L/100km fuel figure, while either engine choice comes with 19-inch wheels, keyless start and keyless entry, as well as a Driver Assistance Package that includes Distronic Plus cruise control and Lane-Keeping Assist.

The C300 BlueTec Hybrid is the first C-Class hybrid offered, and uses the 150kW version of the twin-turbo 2.1-litre diesel, mates to a 20kW electric motor for a claimed combined fuel figure of 3.9L/100km to outperform the (admittedly more powerful) BMW 3 Series ActiveHybrid’s 5.9L/100km claim. The hybrid Mercedes will start at $74,900 plus on-roads.

The new W205 C-Class, which is truly a concentrated version of the S-class flagship, is 95mm longer than its predecessor, thanks in part to an 80mm increase in wheelbase, and is also 40mm wider for more passenger and luggage space.

The estate, despite already being more cavernous than its German rivals, is now 10-litres bigger and has a powered tailgate as standard.

The body, which is more rigid and uses more aluminium, helps reduced model-for-model weight by around 40kg over the previous model’s, with weight also lopped off through clever suspension packaging and consolidation of components. Air suspension is also available on the C-Class for the first time.

There’s also a brilliant new interior design, which sees a standard 7.0-inch display that grows to 8.3-inches if you option COMAND, with a beautifully sculpted centrepiece that integrates the rotary dial with a handwriting recognition pad.

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THE Mercedes-Benz S65 AMG Coupe will cost about $520,000 when the flagship V12 AMG model arrives in Australia in 2015.

The S65 AMG Coupe is the undisputed king of the S-Class line-up and will be the fourth V12-powered model offered by AMG.

These first official images present no real surprises given that the regular two-door S-Class and the V8-powered S63 AMG have already been shown.

The V12 model sees the same chunkier front and rear bumpers and side skirts of the S63 bolstered by bigger 20-inch alloys that work well visually with the impressive scale of the more than 5.0-metre-long coupe. Inside is wall-to-wall S-Class luxury loveliness, with the usual AMG enhancements.

The S65’s twin-turbo 6.0-litre V12 produces 463kW, a number that’s impressive until you read its maximum torque figure; a neat 1000Nm.

Key technical features of the V12 are its aluminium block, forged steel crankshaft, dozen twin-spark ignition units and air-to-liquid intercooler with low-temperature circuit.

The engine’s stampede of Newton-metres gallop to the big coupe’s rear wheels via AMG’s sturdy Speedshift Plus transmission, a toughened version of Mercedes’ 7G-Tronic seven-speed auto.

In the new S65 Coupe, this drivetrain delivers a claimed 4.1-second 0-100km/h time, an improvement of 0.3sec.

Fuel efficiency isn’t as awful as you’d expect from a V12-powered monster, with its 11.9L/100km in the European combined cycle test a substantial 2.4L/100km improvement compared to its CL65 predecessor.

The S65 Coupe naturally delivers the full suite of advanced tech introduced in the new S-Class Coupe.

But the idiotically named Magic Body Control, with its curve tilting function and brilliant, bump-obliterating Road Surface Scan system, operates in harmony with an AMG-tuned suspension set-up.

The S65 Coupe joins the S65 sedan, SL65 roadster and, weirdest of them all, the G65 off-roader in what Mercedes describes as “an unrivalled range of V12-powered choices”.

These are also cars bought by the brand’s wealthiest, most loyal customers: “There are AMG fans for whom our V12 bi-turbo is the measure of all things,” said Mercedes-AMG chief Tobias Moers.

Ricciardo insists Vettel will bounce back

BEWARE the down-but-not-out defending world champion. That’s the warning from Daniel Ricciardo, who senses Sebastian Vettel is poised to turn around his poor 2014 season, perhaps starting with his home race in Germany next weekend.

Nine races into the season, Vettel sits a lowly fifth in the points standings and trails his third-placed Australian team-mate by 28 points.

While Vettel hasn’t adapted to the new turbo V6 hybrid F1 cars as well as some, Ricciardo believes his team-mate will get on top of the characteristics of the 2014 Red Bull RB10 sooner rather than later.

Vettel has been uncomfortable with the new car’s behaviour when downshifting on corner entry, when the tail doesn’t feel planted.

Ricciardo senses Vettel will be very hungry to do better at the German Grand Prix at Hockenheim, although it’s not a layout that suits the power-strapped Renault-engined Red Bull cars.

Look out in the Hungarian GP at Budapest a week later, he warns.

De Pasquale’s Twin Wins at the ‘Ring

ANTON De Pasquale turned his first visit to the Nurburgring grand prix circuit into a celebratory romp at the weekend, brilliantly converting two pole positions into victories in races five and six of the European Formula Renault 1.6 NEC Championship.

Though unfamiliar with the technical 5.1km circuit, the young Australian teenager showed he was a fast learner in his Lechner Racing open-wheeler.

Tough rival Janneau Esmeijer of the Netherlands pushed the Australian hard through practice and qualifying, and then made a lightning jump in the first of the two races. But it was too fast and Esmeijer was penalised for a jump start, leaving De Pasquale untroubled to take the victory.

“I was actually kind of disappointed when Janneau got the drive-thru penalty,” said De Pasquale. “I was keen to beat him on the track and had worked out where I was going to attempt a pass.”

De Pasquale then repeated his triumph in Sunday’s race, outrunning Esmeijer by 5.2sec to clean sweep the weekend and move to a useful points lead in the championship.

Jack, you ripper!

WITH his eyes firmly on winning the 2014 Moto3 World Championship, Townsville’s Jack Miller has again scored another narrow victory, this time in the German round at the 3.67km Sachsenring circuit.

Aboard his Red Bull KTM, the tenacious Miller edged Brad Binder and Alexis Masbou to extend his advantage in the standings over nearest title rival Alex Marquez to 19 points.

It was Miller’s fourth GP triumph this year.

Importantly, Marquez (Honda) could manage only fourth after a late-race mistake.

In Moto2, last-start Dutch TT winner and fellow Queenslander Ant West finished 17th.

No flash tricks from Ambrose on Magic Mile

TEAM Penske’s Brad Keselowski dominated Sunday’s NASCAR Sprint Cup race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway one mile.

It was a perfect weekend for Keselowski, who also won the Nationwide Series round at the ‘Magic Mile’.

His spotter Joey Meier kidded over the radio to his driver: “Be sure you wear gloves in victory lane.” A fortnight previously, when Keselowski won at Kentucky Speedway, he cut his right hand on a champagne bottle that busted in victory lane when he was swinging it vigorously.

But while Keselowski banked his third Sprint Cup victory of the season, another Ford driver, Australia’s Marcos Ambrose, is still chasing his elusive first win of the year.

Ambrose, who started 21st, struggled to 27th a lap down in his loose-handling Richard Petty Motorsports Fusion. He is now 20th in the Sprint Cup Series, though he has trousered $US2,644,235 from 19 starts this year.

Ambrose’s underdog team plans to use the third of its four allocated tests to prepare for the August 10 road course race at Watkins Glen International, where has been a star in the past.

A Marcos Ambrose win at Watkins Glen is obviously the team’s best shot at putting a second RPM Ford into the Chase.

Dual V8 Supercars champ Ambrose wasn’t too threatening at a road course race at Sonoma, California, earlier this year, but his two victories in 210 Sprint Cup starts both came at Watkins Glen (in 2011 and 2012). He has 11 top-10 finishes in 13 career road-course races.

Limited joy for Aussies in Iowa Indycars

WILL Power slipped from the top of the Indycar table after fading to a 14th place finish in the Iowa Corn Indy 300 on Saturday night, a race stolen in the final two laps by American Ryan Hunter-Reay (Andretti Autosport).

When the Iowa points shook out, Power’s Team Penske team-mate Helio Castroneves had eked out a nine-point lead with six races remaining in the tightly contested series.

The Mid West was a happier hunting ground for the second Australian in Indycars.

Driving his Ganassi Chev, Sydney’s Ryan Briscoe claimed a solid ninth on the 0.875-mile oval, aka The Tricky Triangle.

“It felt so good to be running strong all weekend,” Briscoe reported. “Frustrating result but a really fun race last night.”

It was his seventh top 10 finish this year. Briscoe is ninth in the points.

OH DEAR Lord, it looks good parked there, even against the concrete walls of the old pit lane at the Nordschleife, and even in monochrome, its Polaris Silver paint bleeding into the fog of a typically cold, bleak November day in the Eifel mountains.

Green Hell? Grey would be more accurate for nine months of the year. But the lines of the standard BMW CS coupe are still lovely in this flat light; the fine pillars, the pillarless sideglass, and the original, elongated BMW kidney grille exaggerated by the undershot chin.

But then you add the mad addenda that make this car special, in that uniquely automotive, rare-groove, low-volume sense: the dam-like chin spoiler, the little rubber fins that run the length of the front guards (what do they do, exactly?) and the two great rear spoilers that so busted Germany’s road-car regulations at the time that they had to be delivered in the boot for the first owner (fine choice, sir) to fit himself.

From the instant first gear engages you know you’re not going to be disappointed. This 1164kg lightweight homologation special, with its aluminium panels and rubbish plastic rear bumper and absence of fripperies like sound deadening, bolts forward with a zeal that belies its 40 years. It’s like sleeping with your best friend’s sexy Mum: first digging the vintage looks, but when you slip the negligee off, finding the athletic body of her 20-year-old daughter under there.

There’s danger here. And not just in the fact that BMW’s M division has chosen to celebrate its 40th anniversary by bringing a selection of its finest road and race cars, mostly bereft of any kind of traction control, to the Nürburgring in November and letting a bunch of journalists drive them, including the motoring correspondent of Jay-Z’s new YouTube channel who I don’t think has driven ‘stick’ before.

Honestly: the world’s most difficult, dangerous race track on a cold wet day; some edgy rear-drive cars on decades-old rubber, and some muppets. What could possibly go wrong? By the first lunch of this two-day birthday party, two cars have already been ‘retired’ by guests.

But the real danger is in the comparisons this kind of exercise invites. Since 2009, when the M division launched the X5M and X6M, its more obsessive fans have been bemoaning the firm’s loss of engineering consistency. Maybe, with hindsight, M might not have broken so many of its own rules at once, or with such bad cars, ending a 30-year history of rear-drive, naturally aspirated road cars which were almost all ecstatically received, with a pair of gross-out turbocharged SUVs we all hated.

Yet BMW has a famous history of turbocharging in motorsport, and the reality of modern, state-regulated car design means turbos and downsizing are the only way to meet environmental targets.

Same goes for the safety regs and customer kit demands that mean the new M6 weighs nearly 800kg more than its ’72 forebear. M takes the responsibility for putting its badge on diesels now, with its triple-turbo straight six, and on SUVs.

But we’re not talking about a century of heritage here: founded in May ’72, it’s only been building M-badged road cars since 1978. Brands need to change. They usually broaden. So I haven’t come to its birthday bash to beat M about the head for no longer building atmo straight-six exec-sedan Q-cars that weigh less than a modern hatch. It can’t any more. I just want to follow its story. And not crash.

The story starts with the CSL. It was the first car that BMW Motorsport GmbH went racing with after its formation under ex-Porsche works driver Jochen Neerpasch. The CSL road car wasn’t its work: the mass-reduction was done by Alpina and the first cars were built by Karmann in ’71. But they became the first race cars that M campaigned, winning their class at Le Mans and the Touring Car Grand Prix here at the ’Ring in their first season, later being driven by Niki Lauda and Jacky Ickx and making as much power as a modern Formula One car in their final, turbocharged, scoops-and-balloon-slicks iteration.

The Scheel bucket seats don’t sag and the view down those rubber fins is almost more than I can cope with. The Batmobile moves off with an alacrity that belies its size and the mere 153kW from its 3153cc straight-six. There are few old cars you can drive fast immediately without embarrassment but this is one, the perfect pedal placement and weight letting me heel-and-toe into the Hatzenbach after 100 metres’ experience.

The brakes grab instantly, the car turns in smartly and the acceleration, while only warm-hatch standard now, is accompanied by a terrific noise that goes from sub-aural drone (no sound insulation, remember) to a glorious mechanical thrash. Not often do you drive a car you’ve dreamed of driving for years and find it better than expected, but here it is. And there is some discernible M-car DNA here, in the front-engined rear-drive balance that a 911 of the era lacks, and in the useability and consistent weight of the controls.

BMW’s unhappy experiences with its supercar explain why everything else in the old pit lane is an M take on a standard production car. Built from 1978 to homologate a mid-engined Group Five racer that could beat 911s using the engine from the final CSLs, M brilliantly chose to sub-contract much of the engineering and build of the M1 to Lamborghini just as it was going through yet another of its financial crises.

It’s the next car I drive, and the Italian influence is plain and painful in the long-arm, short-leg driving position, the madly offset pedals and the fact that, despite being under 183cm, my helmetless noggin is hard against the roof. Ital did the styling, two Modena suppliers provided the chassis and fibreglass body but the cars were shipped back to Baur in Stuttgart for final assembly, so it’s little wonder that BMW took a serious bath on every one of the 457 examples made.

Of which this white one must be about the finest remaining, like every car I’ll drive today. The cabin might be pure period Italian supercar nonsense but the mechanicals are all M, with the same firm, consistent control weights and lusty, utterly linear straight-six lump. The engine, as with so many M cars, dominates the experience, and it went into the first M5 of 1984, though the 162kW M535i of 1980 was the second official full M-car.

I skip the early Fives and get into an E30 M3 next, which, like the CSL and the M1, was born to homologate Group A touring cars, and the last car from the Motorsport division designed primarily with motorsport in mind. But this was no low-volume special: nearly 20,000 were made, including convertibles.

Pains me to dismiss such an important car in a few words but while it feels agile and right-sized and the powertrain as linear and tractable as ever, the lauded steering doen’t feel anywhere as sweet as I’d read; at least not in this early car, at this circuit.

And I was keen to get into an E34 M5, built from 1988 and the car I thought would be the missing link between the edgy, low-volume homologation or race-engined specials of M’s early years and the omni-capable but purely road-focused cars we have now. And that’s just how it feels: big, serious, and heavy, but with the brawn to overcome its mass easily, with fine manners and a cultured, colourful engine note like every deeper instrument in the orchestra playing the same note at once. I hadn’t driven one before, but again had always wanted to, and again it doesn’t disappoint. There’s nothing racy about it, but as a tool for destroying the 1000 kilometres from Munich to the south of France it had no equal.

This later 3.8-litre car felt far more like the next, V8-powered E39 M5 that started my working acquaintance with M cars in 1999 – more than I’d expected given the difference in cylinder count. It made the point that perhaps BMW had been wanting to make all along at this party; times change, and the cars change too.

BRITISH brand Jaguar Land Rover has flagged that future versions of its cars will be constantly nosing through your calendar, but all in the name of improving your journey.

It has showcased technology it says will one day even learn your habits, sifting through your work and personal calendars to recognise the difference between a school run and a business trip, and alter the car’s settings even before you step out the front door.

On the road, it will recognise if you’re likely to be stuck in traffic, offering to reroute to a faster-flowing road and even alert the person you’re meeting that you will be late.

According to the luxury car maker, the plan is to develop a “truly intelligent self-learning vehicle that will offer a completely personalised driving experience and help prevent accidents by reducing driver distraction”.

“Up until now most self-learning car research has only focused on traffic or navigation prediction,” Wolfgang Epple, Jaguar Land Rover’s director of research and technology said.

“We want to take this a significant step further and our new learning algorithm means information learnt about you will deliver a completely personalised driving experience and enhance driving pleasure.”

The software will be so smart that if you have a long drive tomorrow and don’t have enough fuel, it will recommend you stop at a petrol station today.

If you’re running the sprogs to school, it will play their radio station, and as soon as the car recognises the kids are out, it will flick over to the driver’s preferred channel.

According to Jaguar Land Rover, intelligent cars are necessary in the lead-up to self-driving vehicles, as car makers try to fill the void for people who no longer have to concentrate fully behind the wheel and start to lose the ‘emotional connection’.

MERCEDES-Benz’s move to a digital showroom for its city-savvy Smart range could be about to shift back into the real world.

However, instead of calling the digital experiment for the quirky two-seater a failure, Mercedes-Benz Australia PR manager Jerry Stamoulis says the move from clicks to bricks and mortar sales is because showroom staff miss the unique selling point the rear-engined range adds to the three star-badged line-up.

“Our dealers actually like it and want it,” Mr Stamoulis said. “They’ve asked for it back because there is a need for it in their dealerships. It’s a differentiator; it’s a point of difference no-one else has.

“When you have something that’s a little bit different, you may attract someone to your dealership who you may have never have attracted otherwise,” he said. “Things like that mean there are a lot of positives to retaining Smart.”

Mercedes has struggled with the slow-selling brand here. The two-car two-seater range, featuring a $18,990 coupe and a $20,990 cabriolet, shifted online in July last year, with Benz saying it would even deliver cars to customers’ doors if requested.

In Europe, Smart starting prices are the equivalent of about $10,000, while high fuel prices and limited parking make the diminutive model even more attractive in buyers’ eyes.

Since its shift online, Mercedes-Benz has sold almost 100 Smart cars here.

A new version of the Smart, sharing underpinnings with the Renault Twingo and potentially reintroducing the four-seat Smart ForFour, is at least 18 months away, with Mr Stamoulis saying Mercedes-Benz was waiting to see the new model before building its case to sell the updated Smart in Australia.

“[The new Smart] is not an automatic yes like the C-Class,” he said. “It’s got to fit into a strategy, it’s got to fit a business case. It’s obvious the market hasn’t accepted it the way that it has in Europe, and we need to assess that.

“It’s not a no, and it’s not a yes, but it is leaning more towards a yes at the moment. It’s a bit like G-Wagen, S65 and SL65 coupe; of course the business cases [for bringing the cars to Australia] don’t stack up, but it’s the type of thing we want to do, and to a degree should be doing in our market.”