Well this is nice.
In a rare case of inter-company relations, Mini has sent a friendly press release wishing the Porsche 911 a happy 50th birthday.
The real present, though, is found in the attached images, which show a classic Mini alongside an off-yellow 911 Targa.
While fundamentally different in design, the Mini and 911 have been two mainstays of the forever-changing motoring world, with the images harking back to their original, unmistakable designs.
As Mini says in its press release “only a handful of cars can claim to have endured over such lengthy time spans, retaining their unmistakable identities despite all the nips, tucks and updates along the way.”
Nice one Mini.
Forget a horse-drawn kart – this is the wedding car you want!
There are only 10 Zonda Cinques (including five roadsters) in existence, but that didn’t stop the owner of chassis no. 2 using his ultra-rare Zonda as his wedding car in Singapore.
Designed to be the ‘ultimate’ Zonda (before the mental Revolcuion that is), the Cinque is essentially a road-legal version of the track-focused Zonda R.
That means 507kW and a 0-100km/h dash of 3.4 seconds.
At least you’d get to the airport for your honeymoon quickly…
Technically this isn’t about cars, but it’s such an engineering achievement we had to share it.
Japan’s fastest train, the 500km/h Maglev, has just completed its first successful test run.
The train, which actually floats above the rails using a state-of-the-art magnet system, provides a revolutionary fast and quiet service.
Official test runs begin in September, with the trains set to be open to the public by 2027.
Head to our Facebook page to join the debate.
He was born before the first Model T Ford rolled off the line, and at 105, Bob Edwards could be the world’s oldest licensed driver.
He’s certainly New Zealand’s most experienced motorist, with Bob revealing to the Daily Mail, he first got his license in 1925 at the age of 17.
Since then, over 88 years, Bob has only been involved in one traffic accident and received just one speeding ticket.
Bob still drives three days a week, peddling his Mitsubishi four-wheel-drive the nine kilometres to the grocery store, and he has no intention to give up any time soon.
“As far as I’m concerned, driving is a part of me,’ he says.
“I mean, that was me. I was a driver. And I could drive anything. Anything at all.”
Like Australia, New Zealand has strict license testing for mature drivers.
Bob must have his health a vision tested every two years to stay on the road.
According to the Guinness World Records, 108-year-old America Fred Hale Sr. was the world’s oldest driver until his death in 1998.
Head to our Facebook page to join the debate.
Ferrari Enzos, Porsches, Jaguars, Audis, BMWs – all of these exotic supercars are currently rotting in graveyards in Dubai, with the keys still in the ignition.
The playthings of millionaires, the cars used to belong to high-flying businessmen who have hit financial ruin.
The owners have chosen to cut their losses and run, rather than face Dubai’s strict debt laws and potential jail time.
More than 3000 cars were abandoned in 2011, with most sold by the Dubai police for rock bottom prices.
It’s an ongoing issue, so we thought we’d take a look at Dubai’s supercar graveyard.
Enjoy.
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Porsche is continuing to celebrate 50 years of the iconic 911 by building this – the 911 50 Years Edition.
Essentially a birthday present to itself, Porsche will build just 1963 units of the limited edition model – a not too subtle nod to the 911’s birth year.
As you’d expect, the anniversary model takes design cues from past 911 classics, sporting Fuchs-inspired 20 inch wheels, unique paint and chrome strips across the engine bay.
Think of it as a 911 ‘greatest hits’ package.
Housed in the extra-wide Carrera 4’s body, the 50 Year’s Edition uses the Carrera 2’s rear-wheel-drive layout, with Porsche’s 3.8-litre flat six providing 294kW.
Set to be officially unveiled at the 2013 Frankfurt Motor Show in September, a limited number of the 50 Years Edition will hit Australian shores later this year priced from $270,100.
Love him or hate him, Justin Bieber is one of the world’s biggest music stars.
He’s also, as are most 19-year-olds, a huge fan of fast and exotic cars.
But unlike most 19-year-olds, Bieber can afford them.
And with the Canadian pop star recently adding to his vast collection with a custom $350,000 Audi R8, we thought we’d take a look at Bieber’s other supercars.
Prepare yourself for lots of matte black and pure white.
Now this is art we can like.
Believe it or not, the sculpture you see here began life as a fully-functional 1953 Volkswagen Beetle.
But then 50-year-old Indonesian artist Ichwan Noor got hold of it.
We’re not entirely sure how he managed to make such a perfect circle – probably with lots of welding, bending and swearing – but it’s not the first time Noor has disfigured a Beetle in the name of art.
He previously ‘built’ a cube-shaped Beetle.
What’s next? A triangle?
It’s official: the greatest Ford Falcon ever is the 1970 XY.
But before you break out your keyboards to tell us why it isn’t – hear this.
Wheels didn’t decide the XY is the greatest Falcon ever – you did.
Yep, Wheels threw open the challenge to our Facebook followers, with the XY demolishing the opposition with 57 percent of the vote.
And little wonder, with its muscular stance and iconic status, both on and off the race track, the XY holds a special place in Australian motoring history.
Coming in at number two, with 31 percent of the vote, is the 2008 FG with the 1973 XB rounding out the podium.
The search for Australia’s greatest Falcon comes in the aftershock of Ford’s announcement it would cease Australian manufacturing by 2016.
Confirmed in the shock news was the Falcon, which is one of the world’s longest running nameplates, would also cease to exist.
Head to our Facebook page to join the debate.
Remember that Chinese motorist who smashed his own $428,000 Maserati Quattroporte to bits with sledge hammers in protest of his dealer’s shoddy service?
Well, it’s happened again – sort of.
Another Chinese motorists has staged a very public protest, this time by pitching a tent in the middle of his dealer’s showroom.
Reportedly tired of being told to ‘come back tomorrow’ by staff at a Mercedes dealership in Beijing, My Yao Feng, 48, pitched a tent and refused to move until his issue was resolved.
Mr Feng had purchased a Mercedes-Benz B200, but soon hit mechanical problems.
After telling his dealer of the issues, Mr Feng was reportedly told to ‘come back the next day’ over 20 times.
“I was very proud to be the only person in my village to own a Mercedes-Benz,” said Mr Feng.
“I went there every day for 20 days demanding a replacement and every day they were telling me to come back. Now that it’s only costing me my food to stay here I intend to remain as long as it takes to get satisfaction.”
