Coupes under $50k
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- Best coupes under $50k
Whether you’re just starting to drive or heading into a mid-life crisis, coupes appeal to all of us. Luckily, these days you don’t need to spend big money to enjoy the thrills of the swept-back driving experience.
While you are able to buy a Subaru BRZ or Toyota 86 for less than $40,000, choices start to expand once you’re shopping under the $50,000 so let’s start there.

Toyota 86
It is getting a little long in the tooth, but the Toyota 86/Subaru BRZ combo still offers sports car thrills for an affordable price. Available in manual or automatic with a choice of specification levels, the Toyota 86 has stood the test of time despite external pressure to fill it with extra power.

Mazda MX-5
With the nameplate just celebrating its 30th birthday, there’s small wonder why so many flock to the Mazda MX-5 for an engaging top-down drive. Even if you’re more of a hard-top fan, Mazda now offers the RF version which includes a folding metal roof.

Hyundai i30 Fastback N
A relatively new player to the coupe game, Hyundai’s i30 N was transformed into a four-door coupe following the success of the hatchback. Sleeker styling marries with everything that made Hyundai’s first true hot hatch great

Minority Report-style advertising on the way from GM
General Motors has applied for a patent for billboard technology that can serve up individually–tailored advertising to drivers based on their previous navigational inputs.

$200 million James Bond-style US Navy stealth ship on sale for just $100,000
The world’s first ever stealth boat — a top secret US Navy vessel built in the 1980s — is now up for sale on an eBay-style auction site.

Cars to be cleaner than trains by 2020
One of the automotive industry’s leading engineers has predicted that the most economical cars available by 2020 will produce fewer emissions than the cleanest electric trains of today.

Wheels magazine: Audi S6/S7 first drive
Within 8km of starting the twin-turbo V8 for the first time, the fire is muffled as the speed-limiter calls time just beyond 250km/h. And half of those kilometres were getting out of Munich airport and jumping onto the A92 autobahn. After the repressed driving culture of Australia, Germany is like heaven.

Wheels magazine: Audi S6/S7 first drive
Within 8km of starting the twin-turbo V8 for the first time, the fire is muffled as the speed-limiter calls time just beyond 250km/h. And half of those kilometres were getting out of Munich airport and jumping onto the A92 autobahn. After the repressed driving culture of Australia, Germany is like heaven.

Rare $1.5 million Lamborghini Reventon up for auction
One of just 20 examples ever built of the ultra-rare Lamborghini Reventon is expected to sell for more than $1.5 million when it is auctioned in June at the 2012 London Motorexpo.

Mercedes confirm rival to Porsche 911
Mercedes has confirmed it will begin production of a rival to the Porsche 911 called the SLC.

Prince Charles’s Aston Martin up for auction – $110,000 expected
A 1994 Aston Martin Virage Volante convertible loaned to Prince Charles by the company between 1994 and 2007 is to go up for auction on May 19. Estimates suggest the car will fetch up to £70,000 (around $110,000).

Could you live with a supercar?
Could you live with a supercar? If asked that question by a man dangling the keys to a Day-Glo orange Lamborghini Aventador, most reasonable people would automatically respond with a breathless ‘yes’ — possibly while scanning the room for something to bash him over the head with.

Bentley celebrates 60 years of the Queen with Mulsanne Diamond Jubilee
Bentley has unveiled a special edition of its Mulsanne grand-tourer called the Diamond Jubilee in celebration of the 60 year reign of Queen Elizabeth II.

Range Rover release Posh new Evoque Victoria Beckham edition
Range Rover always said that they would give Victoria Beckham her own special edition of the Evoque after she signed on as its “creative director” almost one year ago. Now the model is here and it’s actually not nearly as tacky as you may have assumed.

Mood sensing cars on the way: Toyota
Toyota has revealed the latest safety technology it is developing for its future cars: mood sensors that can identify the emotional state of a driver.

THE REAL ROAD RACER
Cameron Donald is one of our finest ever TT exports — he could also be our last.

Lamborghini to unveil Urus SUV this week
Lamborghini is set to reveal an all-new SUV concept car in China this week called the Urus.

Exhaust fumes kill twice as many as road accidents: study
A study has revealed that air pollution brought on by exhaust fumes kills more than 5,000 people in the UK every year. The pollution has been linked to the premature onset of a number of diseases such as heart disease and lung cancer.

Cars that like to keep warm
We all know someone who loves their car just a little too much — but have you ever known someone to go as far as knitting their car a woolly jumper so it can stay warm?

The cars most driven by cheating husbands
Doing the image of BMW drivers no favours at all is a new survey from “extra-marital” dating site IllicitEncounters.com which suggests that cheating husbands are twice as likely to drive a BMW than any other car brand.

Porsche 911 is World Performance Car of the Year
The Porsche 911 has been voted 2012 World Performance Car of the Year by an international jury of 64 automotive journalists.

Ferdinand Alexander Porsche
With the automotive world mourning the loss of Ferdinand Alexander ‘Butzi’ Porsche who passed away over the Easter weekend aged 76, we thought we’d nominate our ten favourite 911s from the last 49 years.

Oldest unrestored Mini to make $25,000 at auction
This is the oldest unrestored Mini in existence, and the 1959 Austin Mini Se7en is being auctioned by Bonhams next week. Despite its rather dilapidated condition, it’s expected to fetch around $25,000.

VW Up! wins World Car of the Year 2012
The Volkswagen Up! has been declared winner of the 2012 World Car of the Year award. The announcement was made at the 2012 New York International Auto Show.

Obituary: Ferdinand Porsche – designer of the 911
Ferdinand Alexander Porsche, who passed last week, was Ferry Porsche’s eldest son and created the car his father liked the most – the Porsche 911.

Ferrari reveals special 458 Italia for China
Ferrari has revealed a limited edition 458 Italia to mark 20 years of importing cars into China.

The ‘real’ Jeremy Clarkson joins Twitter
The real Jeremy Clarkson has joined Twitter — or so it would appear.