BMW has smashed the record for the world’s longest drift with its M5 sedan.
Sliding its way into the record books with a sustained ‘drift’ of 82.52km (51.27 miles), the M5 set the official record at the BMW Performance Centre near Greenville, South Carolina on Saturday.
The previous record was held by rally driver Abdo Feghali, who slid his Chevrolet Camaro SS 76.78km (47.71 miles) on a dry circuit in Abu Dhabi earlier this year.
Click through the gallery to see the M5’s record attempt.
Fancy a car with seats inspired by first class airline travel, a ‘self-perfuming system’ made from coconut shells and a massage system that replicates the ‘hot stone technique’?
Then the new Mercedes-Benz S-Class is for you.
Officially unveiled in a lavish media event in Hamburg, Germany, overnight, the new 2014 S-Class is designed to reinvent the luxury sedan and be ‘the best automobile in the world.’
To achieve this, the S-Class has been given Rolls-Royce rivalling luxuries, making it part first class lounge, part day spa, part office.
As expected with any new S-Class, it’s bristling with ground-breaking technology, including a new system that monitors the road ahead and prepares the suspension for bumps.
It also boats an advanced ‘semi-autonomous driving’ system, meaning the car can steer, accelerate and brake on its own thanks to technology that allows it to ‘read the road’.
Designed to appeal to the booming Chinese market, the new S Class – which goes on sale in Australia later this year – is expected to start from about $200,000 and stretch beyond $500,000.
We’re hearing some exciting news coming out of Infiniti.
Leading the charge is confirmation the Japanese brand will launch a halo sportscar within the next three years.
The car, which is tipped to use ‘range extender’ or plug-in hybrid tech, is likely to combine the design elements of Infiniti’s Emerg-e and Essense concepts.
As with all Infiniti products, it will be aimed at a younger audience, with premium car buyers in their late 20s the target.
Infiniti itself says it will be “like the Tesla sports car option, but with more flexibility in terms of range.”
The brand is also expected to add a crossover to its lineup by 2015, called the Q30.
Infiniti boss Andy Palmer says the crossover will sit between “the Audi A3 and Audi Q3”, possibly hinting the crossover will have a new three-way adjustable ride height system.
It’s expected to be designed on the 2011 Etherea concept.
Now is your chance to buy a rare piece of Ferrari history.
Sure, it mightn’t actually be a Ferrari, but the truck you’re looking at here, has transported some of the rarest and fastest cars ever produced by the prancing horse.
Meet then, the 1969 Ferrari Formula 1 transporter.
Yes, this old girl has transported motorsport royalty, having acted as Ferrari’s F1 transporter for over a decade after being drafted for use in 1969.
That means it’s transported F1 and sportscars raced by Gilles Villeneuve, Carlos Reutemann, John Surtees, Mario Andretti, Jacky Ickx and even the world championship winning machines of Niki Lauda and Jody Scheckter.
But what about the truck itself?
Well, it was built by Italian truck manufacturer Officine Mecchaniche (OM) and is powered by 8.0-litre, six cylinder diesel.
After its retirement in 1980, it was cared for by a private collector before moving to the Museum of Motorsport Racing in Fuji, Japan, where it’s currently kept.
Meet Aston Martin’s wild 100th birthday present to itself – the CC100 concept.
Officially unveiled overnight, the one-off, V12 concept has been designed to display future design cues as well as pay homage to Aston’s only Le Mans 24 Hours winner, the 1959 DBR1.
Featuring an all-carbon fibre body, the open top Speedster uses Aston’s long serving 6.0-litre V12 to power the rear wheels.
0-100km/h takes just ‘over’ four seconds, according to Aston, with the entire car designed and built in under six months.
Oh, and don’t think the CC100 will gather dust in a museum. It’s already been sold to a ‘wealthy client’ for a reported $780,000.
It’s a car as famous as the Hollywood star that drove it, and now, the 1967 Ford Mustang from Gone in 60 Seconds (the 2000 remake) has sold for a whopping $1.1 million.
Known as ‘Eleanor’ the Mustang went under the hammer last week, with an anonymous bidder footing the enormous price.
Eleven ‘Eleanors’ were actually built for the film, which starred Nicolas Cage and Angelina Jolie, but only three were working cars – two of which were destroyed in filming.
The car that sold was Cage’s primary ‘beauty car’, used for close ups and promotional activities.
Not actually an original Shelby, Eleanor was based on a 1967 Mustang fastback and converted by Cinema Vehicle Services.
Young drivers could be forced to remain on probationary licenses until they turn 25, if Victoria’s top cop has his way.
Assistant Commissioner Robert Hill says extending the state’s P-Plate period, and hence the time young drivers must adhere to a 0.00 blood alcohol limit, would help to cut Victoria’s road toll.
In an interview with Fairfax, Mr Hill says 40 percent of people aged 20-25 who are killed or injured on Victorian roads are victims of drink driving.
He also stated medical research proves young people’s brains aren’t fully developed until their mid-to-late 20s, particularly the areas that control decision making – a crucial skill when behind the wheel.
If successful, the push would see young drivers forced to use probationary licenses for the first seven years of their solo driving life – three more than currently enforced in Victoria.
Mr Hill isn’t alone in his push, with the move to extend the probationary period gathering support from leading road safety researchers and citizens affected by road trauma.
Self-driving cars have received a major boost, with a new study finding more than half of the world’s motorists would trust the new technology.
With automated driving quickly becoming a reality, 57 percent of motorists from around the world said they would gladly use a self-driving function to ferry them from point A to B, but this number dipped to just 46 percent if drivers had their children on board.
The new research comes as Mercedes-Benz pledges to deliver a fully autonomous vehicle by 2021.
But even current cars are using autonomous driving aids.
Adaptive cruise control, which can bring a car to a complete stop and accelerate automatically, is already available on many models, as is automated parallel parking.
The new 2014 Mercedes-Benz S Class can drive itself in gridlock and even sense when cars are approaching too quickly or when a rear-end collision is imminent.
The study, commissioned by tech-giant Cisco, surveyed 1500 motorists from 10 countries.
So rip off the steering wheel and throw away your keys, the future is here.
But will you trust it?
It’s called the Mercedes-Benz C55 AMG, but what you’re really looking at is the replacement for the brutal AMG C63 performance sedan.
Mercedes will launch an entirely new C-Class range next year, with the C55 AMG to be class’s performance flagship.
As the name suggests, the C55 will ditch the C63’s 6.3-litre naturally aspirated V8 for a new twin-turbo 5.5-litre V8.
Caught here in testing camouflage, this prototype sedan shows the new car will boast wider bumpers and wheel arches as well as other AMG design touches.
Expect to see more of this car as its testing program progresses.
Having trouble deciding between the Toyota 86 and Subaru BRZ twins?
Well Subaru may have just made the choice for you.
The Japanese brand has just released details of a new, sportier variant called the BRZ ‘S’, which will go on sale in June.
Featuring new look bodywork, a rear-lip spoiler, black STI wheels and tweaked suspension (new coil-over springs and a flexible tower bar), it’s tipped to cost $40,000.
The S will also get beefed up equipment including parking sensors, a reverse camera, sat-nav and an STI sports exhaust.
Expect Toyota to hit back with something similar, but the BRZ S isn’t the only new Subaru coming Down Under.
September will see the brand release a special edition WRX 20th anniversary model – touted as the last limited edition of the current WRX shape.
Limited to 300 units, it will feature Subaru’s famous WR Blue paint and gold 17-inch alloys, new seats and interior trim and an STI front lip and rear spoiler.
