Jack Martin

Two of the more intriguing concepts planned for the world's largest motor show (IAA) in Frankfurt a fortnight from now will come from BMW Motorrad and sister brand Husqvarna. Almost nothing about the concepts has been disclosed other than their existence and a few cryptic words in a press release which mention an e-mobility BMW Motorrad design study and "a new idea for individual single track mobility" from Husqvarna. Read More

Smart's iconic lightweight fortwo was such a natural for conversion to electric propulsion that it was one of the first zero emission cars with a badge recognizable by the general public. In essence, the electric smart changed little from the petrol-engined version apart from the drivetrain. Now it has teamed with chemical developer BASF to envisage the smart reconstructed with new materials for insulation, reflection, energy management and weight saving. The roof not only transmits light, it generates energy. smart says the end result of the forvision makeover is an increase in range of 20 percent with exactly the same powertrain. Read More

Owning an open top Ferrari is perhaps one of the most common male fantasies, though with a five liter V8 providing motive force, it's infinitely more practical to have the protection and quietness of a hardtop when atmospheric conditions aren't optimum. Hence Ferrari's new 458 Spider with its automated folding aluminum hard-top solution makes infinite sense. Read More

The world record for a car sold at auction was smashed on Sunday when the Ferrari Testa Rossa prototype sold for US$16.4 million. The previous record (US$12.1 million) for an auctioned car belonged to a 1957 Testa Rossa, so the original prototype had been expected to capture the record in the lead up to the Gooding & Co Pebble Beach auction. That's the hammer falling in the pic, with various auction fees making up the difference between the US$14.9 million and the "record" US$16.4 million. Read More

The annual Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance sees the world's most original and extraordinary automobiles on display, and this year another priceless restoration joined the group. Edsel Bryant Ford’s 1934 Model 40 Special Speedster has been the subject of an extensive restoration which returned it to how it originally looked in 1940 after its final redesign by Ford and Ford's lead designer E. T. Gregorie. That a 77-year-old vehicle can have aged as gracefully as it has is testimony to the talent of those that built it. Read More

The Cadillac Converj luxury coupe, which made such a splash back in 2009 with its extended-range EV technology, is destined for production and will be named the Cadillac ELR. Not many details of the new ELR are available other than that it will feature an electric propulsion system made up of a T-shaped lithium ion battery, an electric drive unit, and a four-cylinder engine-generator. Read More

Last week Audi released sketches of a new lightweight all-electric Urban concept it intends to show at the Frankfurt Motor Show. Now, before we've seen the Sportback version in the flesh, it has decided to add an open-air Spyder version of the 1+1-seat technical study. Both cars feature a continuous, pillarless window area and doors that open upwards for ingress/egress in tight urban surroundings. Even more intriguing is the similarity between the Le-Mans-winning R18 and the Urban concept - see images inside. Read More

The US$950,000 Hennessey Venom GT produces 1200 horsepower and weighs twelve hundred kilos (2,685 lbs) WET! By comparison, it makes the 267 mph, 1184 bhp Bugatti Veyron GT look overweight. The Veyron GT is 50 percent heavier, tipping the scales at 1,888 kg (4,162 lbs). The 2012 Venom GT will make its first public outing in its homeland later today when it attends the McCall's Motorworks Revival, the traditional first event of the Monterey / Pebble Beach weekend. Read More

The greater share of the value of any significant collector car is in the provenance – who sat in the seat before you, and experienced the same vehicle, can make a massive difference to the price the car commands. What then of a car that was specifically built for, and used, by Pope Paul VI? It went on to become the focal point of countless ticker tape parades for the first astronauts to orbit the moon (Apollo 8's Borman, Lovell and Anders), the first astronauts to set foot on the moon (Apollo 11's Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin, plus Command Module Pilot Michael Collins) plus Apollo 13's Lovell, Mattingly and Haise and Apollo 15's Scott, Worden and Irwin, President Lyndon Baines Johnson and Vice President Hubert Humphrey. How much will it go for? Read More