Lotus has revealed first images of a special edition Lotus Evora S that will be auctioned next Monday evening (5 September) to raise money for the Freddie Mercury HIV AIDS charity.

The Mercury Phoenix Trust was set up by Freddie Mercury’s Queen bandmates Brian May and Roger Taylor, and Queen manager Jim Beach. The bespoke Lotus Evora S is one of the star lots in the auction for the charity, which is being held on Freddie Mercury’s 65th birthday.

The Lotus Design team has created the one-off pearl white Evora, which boasts a standout red and gold centre stripe. This is apparently inspired by the costume Freddie Mercury wore for the 1986 ‘Magic tour’, says Lotus.

Honda is preparing to launch an all-new Civic model fully equipped to take on the class-leading Ford Focus and Volkswagen Golf.

The current car has fallen off the pace in recent years: Honda is thus designing the new Civic, debuting at the Frankfurt Motor Show and on sale in early 2012, to relaunch the long-running family hatchback line with a bang.

Porsche’s new 911 (codenamed 991) was revealed to Wheels at an exclusive function at the company’s Zuffenhausen museum. The design language of the 991 will be familiar to all Porsche fans, but under the nipped and tucked bodywork is a very different 911.

The entry-level Carrera features a down-sized 3.4-litre flat-six engine (previously 3.6). Still, power is up to 257kW at 7400rpm, and torque remains 390Nm, though the smaller capacity means it’s now produced 1200rpm higher than before at 5600rpm.

The Carrera S, the only other 991 for now, retains its 3.8-litre engine, though power is up 11kW to 294kW at 7400rpm – that’s 900rpm higher than the 997 model. Torque is up 20Nm to 440Nm but again it’s 1200rpm higher in the rev range. Porsche engineers were quick to settle fears that the new engines are too peaky. And, of course, both the PDK and manual now have seven speeds to cover the rev range.

That’s right, the manual is the world’s first seven speeder. Mechanically very similar to the PDK just without the second clutch, it was chosen because the extra 100mm in the wheelbase meant the old six-speeder was too short.

Worryingly for fans of Porsche’s pure driving experience, the engineers seemed more excited about fuel economy improvements than telling us this was a potential Le Mans class winner. Admittedly, the numbers are impressive. The Carrera’s 3.4-litre engine consumes 9.0L/100km when fitted with the manual gearbox, or 8.2L/100km with the PDK. Those figures represent improvements of 1.3 and 1.6L/100km, respectively.

The larger-engined Carrera S consumes 9.5L/100km with the manual or an astonishing 8.7 with the PDK. Again, these numbers are substantial improvements over the 997 – 1.1 and 1.5L/100km, respectively.

However, contrary to pre-reveal rumour, there will not be a hybrid version of the 911 in this generation. According to August Achleitner, boss of 911 development, current hybrid technology, “doesn’t make sense for a sports car. Maybe in the future. Maybe in ten years.”

While many will claim they can’t tell the difference between new and old 911s, the 991 is starkly different when viewed together. At the museum, Porsche had lined up six of the seven generations of 911 (only the G-series 930 was missing) and with 997 and 991 side by side, it was obvious the new car is bigger and different. The 100mm longer wheelbase and 20-inch wheels on the Carrera S gives the impression of a much bigger car. The roofline is 10mm lower and the flow of the turret is faster. The pronounced signature rear hips are flatter and less rounded.

The impression of size continues inside and the Panamera influence is obvious. The centre console rises towards the dash like it does in Panemera and Cayenne. Porsche has obviously spent considerable effort on improving interior quality, but for my eyes it’s too GT and not sporty enough.

Not that you’d expect him to say otherwise, but CEO Mattias Muller said, “The 991 is the best 911 Carrera we have made. And as the other models roll out, it will become the best 911 ever made.”

What you’re looking at here is The Blue Oval’s next-generation of hot hatch.

Officially called the Evos Concept, it will star as Ford’s headline act at this September’s Frankfurt Motor Show. And while it previews the next iteration of Ford’s global design language, it’s what’s inside the Evos that is really causing tongues to wag.

Read more: MOTOR: Ford’s Head in the Clouds

With apologies to The Cure, it’s 12:19 on a Saturday night and the Porsche tinks under the street light. Tink, tink, tink…

And I’m standing at my kitchen sink remembering where I’ve been. And the Porsche tinks, tink, tink…

Okay, I’m not clever enough to keep this up. The Porsche that’s tinking and tonking outside my front door is dissipating the heat from the last 400km. In 16 hours I’m due to board a jet to Germany and view, sit in and discuss the new 911. No driving. That will come in a month or so.

And I’m very nervous. Remember that.

The 911 that’s cooling and contracting is not the outgoing 997 model, but an air-cooled 993 Carrera 4S. To celebrate its 60 years in Australia, Porsche Cars Australia (PCA) bought various models of 911 history and handed them out to select media outlets.

Last week I lost my 930-virginity, driving a 1984 G-Series Carrera and this weekend it’s the 993. Can you imagine Holden handing over the keys to a 1984 VK Commodore Vacationer or Toyota offering a steer in a new-for 84 Tarago? Nope, neither can I.

For many, the 993 is the 911. Still air-cooled and with a bodyshell that can trace its origins back to the 1963 original. While this is not the first time I’ve driven a 993, it’s the first time I’ve really driven one. Four hundred proper kays. Tight corners, fast sweepers, late night, no traffic.

The initial throttle tip-in is abrupt and the floor-hinged clutch has a strange roll-over point but master these nuances and the 993 is as fast as a modern car but with old-school tactility and slim-pillared visibility. Sure, the ergonomics would give a Lexus engineer nightmares and the headlights can’t match today’s bi-xenon, adaptive, active search beacons.

The brakes are powerful but require proper pressure and modulation. The nose goes light at speed and will wash into understeer if you’re too early onto the throttle in a corner. The steering’s heavy at parking speeds and will not tolerate one-finger-twirling even at 60km/h.

You must drive the 993. And I love it for that reason, as I do the soon-to-be-replaced 997.

As the last air-cooled 911, the 993 is sainted. The bigger, more-refined, water-cooled 996 that followed is the 911 people like to forget. At the 997’s international launch in 2005, Porsche was very keen to forget the fried-egg headlights of the 996 and stress that the 997’s design language recalled the beloved 993.

And now we have the 991 a car with no links to the Butzi Porsche-designed original. To be honest, even the 997’s links to the first 911 were tenuous. In fact, only the GT cars could trace the lineage of their engines back to the Hans Mezger-designed flat-six and when the last of the GT3 RS 4.0s are built later this year, that link will be severed for good.

Why does this matter? Ferrari 458 Italia fans don’t seem to care that it can’t trace its origin to the Dino. Nor do HSV owners lament that the GTS doesn’t share a little-known grommet with the VB Commodore. The 911 is different. The 991 is only the third genuinely new 911 in the model’s 48 year history.

But why am I nervous? Because the 991 might just be a step too far from what I think is the 911’s brief. The 100mm longer wheelbase will almost certainly mean a better ride and more secure handling. But the interior looks too luxurious, too GT. And the bombshell? The 991 has electro-hydraulic steering.

With no drive I’ll have to believe for now Porsche’s promise that you can’t tell the difference between the new set-up and the old, wonderfully tactile steering of 911’s past. Steering feel has been a 911 trademark to rival the rear-mounted flat-six.

Here’s hoping an icon hasn’t been destroyed. Here’s hoping the 991 is a 911 you drive just for the hell of it.

A Skoda Octavia vRS built by Skoda UK has become the fastest 2.0-litre forced induction production car in the world after breaking the land speed record at the Bonneville salt flats.

Around 447 kW propelled the supercharged Octavia to 363 km/h – the average figure taken from two separate runs of 360.8 km/h and 365.7 km/h.

“That is a fantastic result, which we did not anticipate in this fashion. Our goal was to smash the 200 mile mark on the speedometer. Now we have set a new record and have clearly exceeded our goal,” said Robert Hazelwood, director of Skoda UK.

“This result is the achievement of the people who have spent the last couple of weeks and months working tirelessly to prepare the vehicle for the drives at Bonneville. We are all very proud.”

The ‘salt spec’ Octavia, which featured a larger turbo built by Garrett and ran on high-octane race fuel, was built to celebrate 10 years of Skoda’s vRS performance division. Driven by British journalist Richard Meaden, the speed it set on the famous five mile stretch beat the previous record of 347.6 km/h set in 1998. During Bonneville’s Speed Week, Meaden was able to break the ‘double ton’ (200 mph) a total of six times.

Look for more in-depth coverage of the feat in the November issue of Wheels.

Ferrari has released the first details and images of its 458 Spider convertible.

Joining the Italia in Ferrari’s mid-engined V8 lineup, the Spider features a Ferrari patented, fully-retractable hard top, making it the world’s first mid-engined drop-top.

The Spider’s all-aluminium, folding steel roof offers a weight reduction of 25 kg over traditional soft-tops, and roof deployment in just 14 seconds. Fully-integrated into the vehicle’s styling, the harp-top sits just in front of the engine bay and leaves room for a luggage bench behind the seats. Minor styling changes to the rear of the car optimise air flow into the engine intakes and clutch, and gearbox oil radiators, while the addition of an adjustable electric wind stop is said to allow for normal conversations even when travelling at over 200 km/h. Structural rigidity is also unchanged thanks to engineering tweaks to the chassis.

The 458 Spider is powered by the same 425 kW, naturally-aspirated, direct-injection 4.5-litre V8 as the Italia, which was nominated as the 2011 International Engine of the Year. However the accelerator pedal mapping and multilink suspension damping have been re-calibrated to ensure that the performance and overall driving experience remain unchanged. The engine note has also been sharpened for top-down cruising.

The 458 Spider will make its official debut the Frankfurt International Motor Show next month.

Ferrari has revealed the open-top alternative to the 458 Italia, with the Ferrari 458 Spider making its debut at the Frankfurt Motor Show next month.

It introduces a new concept for mid-engined open-air Ferraris, too: the 458 Spider debuts a new fully retractable hard-top that is so clever, Ferrari has even taken out a patent on it.

TOYOTA will be targeting private and novated lease buyers as well as the usual fleet operators in a much bigger way than it ever has before with the new Atara version of its seventh-generation Camry sedan.

To be positioned as a ‘premium’ luxury version of the completely redesigned midsizer when launched in the last week of November, the Atara (Hebrew for ‘crown’ – which is funny since Camry is a derivation of the Japanese word‘atarashii’ which also means crown!) will boast a sportier nose with mesh grille inserts and a three-piece bumper design to differentiate it from the bread and butter Altise.

Five-spoke alloys, a small boot spoiler, and dual exhaust outlets further underline Toyota’s intent against more driver-orientated rivals like the Honda Accord Euro, Mazda6 and Ford Mondeo.

Power and torque outputs that are “slightly above” the respective 10 and five per cent improvements the new 2.5-litre four-cylinder petrol engine offers over the outgoing model’s 117kW/218Nm 2.4-litre unit are also promised as a result of the revised exhaust system, to give the Atara a few more herbs and spices underneath that pedestrian-friendly bonnet.

Along with a new six-speed automatic gearbox complete with a Tiptronic-style sequential shift pattern, and a circa-70kg weight saving across the range as a result of a move to lighter higher-tensile steels, the Mk7 Camry ought to feel more energetic than the current five-year old version.

A drop of approximately 10 per cent in the average combined fuel consumption figure compared to today’s Camry auto’s 9.5L/100km has also been flagged, aided by a sleeker silhouette featuring specific airflow improvements in areas such as the side mirrors and tail-lights, as well as some concentrated aerodynamic work underneath the newcomer.

In fact, along with “100 per cent new sheetmetal”, more than 90 per cent of the Camry is described as “all new” overall.

Of the many improvements brought upon the latest model, the company is making the loudest noises about how much quieter Camry 7 is, particularly in terms of the noise articulation index – or how easily passengers can converse inside the car.

Speaking of the cabin, a sizeable 15mm gain in the ‘couple distance’ (the length between the hip points of the peeps in the front and rear seats) has been achieved as a result of moving the dash, steering and front seat 7mm forward and the rear seat 8mm back. Scalloping out the rear seats and using thinner cushions have also helped increase interior space in a package that is basically the same size as before.

An Australian-specific addition to the range, the Atara’s stylistic differences were incorporated into the early design stages of the new Camry’s development in Japan, according to Toyota Style Australia styling and design manager, Paul Beranger, and will be included in the sporty version of the car in its US Sport guise.

“Overall is shows that (Toyota) Australia’s voice is disproportionally louder than the six per cent or so of total global sales of Camry in this country,” Mr Beranger said. “Japan is very open and accepting to our inputs.”

More Australian input will be prevalent in the new Camry’s interior presentation and trim, which will differ in detail rather than overall design from the vehicles sold elsewhere in the world. What exactly these changes are will not be revealed until launch time, however (shown here is the overseas-spec cabin).

“We will need something to titillate you with!” says Toyota Motor Company Australia sales and marketing boss David Buttner.

Thoughts about what Australians would like in their next Camry started even before the current version’s 2009 facelift was executed during 2007, while the engineers and designers got down to it in Japan in 2008.

With over 70 per cent of total Altona (Melbourne) production of Camry currently headed to 17 nations across the world including New Zealand and Saudi Arabia, that Australian input also takes into account the needs of Toyota’s key export customers.

Although no more specification, mechanical, or model details will be released until the national launch, Toyota has confirmed that the 2.5-litre drivetrain will initially be imported from Japan, before the $300 million Altona engine plant upgrade comes on line late in 2012.

Before that there will also be a Camry Hybrid version out early next year, as well as the second-generation Aurion sedan – the V6 petrol Camry sporting a different nose and tail – out in April or May 2012.

The Camry has been number one in its medium car segment for 17 consecutive years in Australia, with over 750,000 units sold since Altona started building the second-generation sedan and wagon in early 1987. When the 850,000 exports since 1996 are included, the total figure produced tops 1.6 million cars.

The United States consumes around 50 per cent of all Camry production, with one fifth going to China. Surprisingly enough, Australia is the third biggest market, with just over 36,700 units sold in 2010 – although 11,764 of those were actually Aurions. Adding the 70,000 Camrys exported, total Altona production topped 105,000 cars last year.

Described as Toyota’s “backbone” model, over 15 million Camrys have been sold in over 100 countries since the series was first unveiled as the F-150 concept car at the 1981 Tokyo Motor Show. Australian sales commenced in 1983 – as a premium alternative to the very humdrum Corona of the day. Atara, then, aims to go full circle.

As WHEELS January 1982 cover predicted, that first Camry was “Toyota’s Secret Weapon” that could go on to “change the face of motoring”….

Hajek Motorsports have broken two land speed records at the famed Bonneville Salt Flats using a near-stock 2011 Ford F-250 Super Duty.

Running on soy-based B20 biodiesel, the F-250’s new 6.7 litre Power Stroke V8 propelled it to 292.9 km/h – smashing the previous record for a B Production Diesel Truck of 210.2 km/h. On regular diesel the F-250 also became the new record holder with a top of 275 km/h, beating a Duramax GMC’s previous speed of 268.5 km/h.Oklahoman soybean and corn farmer, Brent Hajek, said of his achievement:“Racing is part of Ford Motor Company’s DNA so it’s only natural for us to build a race vehicle that demonstrates Ford’s leadership in the diesel and biodiesel truck market. The F-250 is an excellent truck with amazing capabilities. I’m amazed at how, with very few changes from stock, we were able to accomplish this.”The only modifications made were to the high-pressure fuel pump, fuel injectors and turbochargers so that fuel flow increased. The compression ratio was also altered and as a result engine output improved by more than 50 percent over the production units 298 kW and 1,085 Nm.