05 F6 Snowpro on 2040-parts.com

Only the top is soft in new Audi A5/S5 cabriolet

Audi is bucking the trend among luxury automakers who are churning out hardtop convertibles, as the new A5/S5 cabriolets that will reach these shores in October will be the old-fashioned, soft-top design. While other manufacturers such as BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Lexus and Volvo, among others, offer folding hard-tops, Audi says the compromise necessary to make room for the top and all its mechanical apparatus makes a soft-top the right choice for a small to mid-size convertible. The soft top is well insulated; even during a steady rain during our first drive of the car, the cabin was relatively quiet.

Lamborghini by Giugiaro uncovered

At a recent visit to Giugiaro, this 50 year old unnamed Lamborghini, never before seen, suddenly appeared like an undiscovered Shakespeare manuscript, discreetly displayed in a library with no-one paying attention. Parked under some Greek temple-like stairs at the Giugiaro Design headquarters, the car sat on its period Borranis, painted in a yellow hue unseen this side of Ducati. No details, no background, but the story is simple: Fabrizio Giugiaro found some of his father's old sketches from the Bertone era (1960-1965).

McLaren London: Open for business

McLaren London - open for business Almost exactly a year on from McLaren’s announcement that the UK will have three McLaren dealers – London, Birmingham and Manchester – the first of those dealers, McLaren London, opened for business yesterday. Operated by Jardine Motors (who may be more familiar as Lancaster), Mclaren London is the ground floor face of One Hyde Park, the mega-bucks apartment block you may best know as the building where £1 billion of apartments have been sold – but no one has moved in. Ron Dennis is probably banking on some of the owners of those apartments – including a Ukrainian Oligarch said to have paid £136 million for his apartment – popping downstairs to take a look at what McLaren has on offer – and bringing along a friend or three.