A very brave owner of a unique £1.6 million Bugatti Veyron made from porcelain parked it openly in a street in Paris, France. After being spotted outside the Plaza Athenee Hotel during its first sighting in Europe, unsurprisingly the supercar began to draw a crowd.

The super-wealthy owner of this astonishing Veyron L’Or Blanc or rather White Gold in English must have been very relieved when it arrived at the hotel unscathed as the streets of Paris are notoriously narrow and congested. The Bugatti, made last year, is the very first of its kind to have the porcelain body that was created in conjunction with a German ceramics company that usually makes tea pots. Interesting.

Here are some of the stats for the White Gold Bugatti Veyron:

• Cost: £1.6 million
• Number built: One
• Engine: 8-litre W16
• Power: 1,001bhp
• Accleration: 0-62mph in 2.7 seconds, 0-124mph in 7.3 secs and 0-186mph in 16.7 secs
• Top speed: 253mph (with roof down: 217mph)
• Braking: 62mph – 0mph in 31.4 metres (DVLA figure = 73 metres)
• Carbon dioxide emissions: 596g/km (Toyota Prius: 92g/km)
• Average fuel economy: 10mpg
• Fuel economy in town: 6.9mph

Land Rover is preparing a face-lift for the Freelander, originally launched in 2006 and spy shots taken in the Midlands reveal what to expect.

The new facelift, due imminently, is designed to give the vehicle some of the glamour of the Evoque and extend its life cycle while the company focuses on bigger and more pricier upcoming models.

As for the exterior changes, the front end of the Freelander is noticeably different: the now-chrome-ringed grille is smaller and positioned higher up, in line with the revised headlamps. The interior on the other hand has gone through a more drastic redesign with a once plastic looking cabin now featuring more of the Evoque style.

The new Freelander will also feature new gadgets including the latest in MP3 and Bluetooth compatibility.

View the spy shots in the gallery below:

Source: Car Magazine

To celebrate the 60th anniversary of the first two Porsche clubs, the company has announced that it has created the very exclusive 911 Club Coupe. The two Porsche clubs, one of which was established in 1952 and the other a few months afterwards, have now grown into a huge 181,000 members among 640 Porsche clubs in 75 countries around the globe.

Auto Blog reports that the car, based on the Carrera S will get its Powerkit providing an extra 30 horsepower. This increase in horsepower will give the vehicle the ability to jump from  0-100 kph in just 4.0 seconds. “The PASM option drops the car by 20 millimeters over its 20-inch Sport Techno rims, and the Sport Design package adds a new front fascia and a ducktail spoiler out back.”

On the exterior, The Club Coupe will show off glossy script on the doors and green paint. The interior sports an Espresso look.

As one would expect from such an exciting and exclusive offering, Porsche will only be making 13 Club Coupes (in honour of the 13 founding members) and naturally, keeping one for themselves.

This is how it works: club members will be able to register on the Porsche microsite to stand a chance to win one of the 12 Porsches decided by a lottery draw.

In one of his latest reviews, Chris Harris test drives the Mercedes Benz SL63 AMG Bi-Turbo in St. Tropez.

Harris describes the car as “the ultimate go anywhere, roof up or roof down sports car” and acknowledges its ‘bi-polar’ nature as it simultaneously offers comfort and sport, quiet and noise, excitement and calm. Interesting.

For more figures and performance information watch Harris in action in the video below:

Uploaded by Drive

Toyota, along with its racing division TRD, has revealed the first picture of its 2013 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series vehicle, based on the Toyota Camry.

The racing car has been intentionally designed to look similar to the production model road going Camry and although the front of the car is a little more aesthetically pleasing than the production version, there are mostly similarities between the two.

The racing series that kicks off in February in Daytona, Florida sees Joe Gibbs Racing, Michael Waltrip Racing, and JTG Daugherty Racing as the  teams reportedly confirmed to use the model.

Source: World Car Fans 

A rare Aston Martin has recently sold on auction for £1.2 million at a Bonhams Auction in the UK. In comparison to recent auction history, it’s not considered an astronomical amount but it is an interesting purchase. While the vehicle may be rare, it is a factory approved replica.

This Aston Martin DB4GT Zagato was the first collaboration between Zagato and AM in the 1960s which saw the production of just 19 models. Almost 30 years later, Aston Martin decided to re-unite with Zagato and relaunch the model in 1987, by upgrading four existing DB4 rolling chassis to GT spec with AM specialist Richard Williams.

Williams upgraded each car with an uprated 4.2-litre engine, producing 352bhp, independent front suspension a limited slip diff and a live-rear axle.

The four refurbished cars were then shipped off to Zagato’s facilities in Italy who then built the bodies to have the same specs as the original 19. These new cars were then given the name “The Sanction II” cars.

The car that was sold on auction, was among these four refurbished cars with the chassis number DB4GT/0198.

Source: Top Gear

According to a recent report by Car Magazine, Bentley will enter the 2013 Dakar Rally to promote its upcoming crossover.

The report says that Bentley will be buying back VW’s Race Touaregs, previously sold to private racing teams, and will update the SUV racers into modified versions of the EXP 9 F concept in order to have them ready for the 2013 competition.

Although the EXP 9 F was only just unveiled at the Geneva Motor Show and is likely a few years away from production, both the Bentley and its platform-sharing Lamborghini Urus SUV are “crucial to their respective brand’s future fortunes and both are production certainties”.

Like the Race Touaregs, the Bentley versions would be bare-bone off-roaders although it is likely that they could have a body shell that more closely resembles the production model.

Source: World Car Fans

Porsche’s 918 plug-in hybrid prototype is back and it certainly looks different from the last time it made an appearance with its 770 horsepower.

The powerful vehicle with new polished black and white skin, blasted its way past 100 kilometres of terrain for every three litres of petrol. To acheive this fuel efficiency, it pairs a combustion engine with two independent electric motors.

It also features a carbon-fibre reinforced-plastic monocoque shell, rear-axle steering and unique upward-venting exhaust system.

Wolfgang Hatz, Member of the Executive Board Research and Development of Porsche AG said in the official press release that  ”What we are doing with the 918 Spyder is redefining driving fun, efficiency and performance.”

The 918 Spyder is expected for an initial production run starting in September 2013.

Source: Endgadget

Here are a few spy shots of Porsche’s 2014 Macan snapped by Motor Authority.

The Macan was first announced by Porsche as the name of its upcoming compact crossover SUV at the Geneva Motor Show that took place earlier this year with production expected to begin in late 2013.

On the performance side, “the Macan is expected to feature torque-sensing and torque-vectoring differentials, a wider track than the Q5, and both manual and PDK transmissions. A sport-tuned suspension with an optional adjustable ride system is also likely”.

According to Porsche CEO Matthias Mueller, the sales volume estimates range from 50,000-55,000 units per year.

View the gallery of the Porsche Macan below:

This is the new BMW M135i, a 316bhp hatch and the fifth model to emerge from BMW’s new M Performance Automobiles tuning arm. While the new vehicle made its debut at the Geneva Motor Show this year as a concept car, the production version comes out slightly differently.

The M135i is powered by a turbocharged 3.0-litre straight-six producing 316bhp and 332lb ft sent to the rear wheels via a six-speed manual gearbox. The BMW also offers a chunky front spoiler, grey strakes in the front bumper and door mirror caps, bigger sills, a new rear bumper with two exhausts and 18″ wheels that come standard.

As for the interior, the M135i sports both cloth and Alacantra trim and a new steering wheel, gearstick and handbrake.

The vehicle also features “an upgraded cooling system on the 135i, a unique ECU and special engine sound tuning” with an overhaul on suspension as well.

View the official pictures in the gallery below:

BMW recently revealed that it has begun work on its 1-series convertible that will be introduced in 2014 as a 2-series model.

Source: Car Magazine