Aston Martins voted 'best status symbol'

AN ASTON Martin is the car to be seen driving if you want people to believe you've 'made it', according to an offbeat new study. Research carried out by Auto Trader among 1,024 drivers showed that the British brand's cars are, perhaps unsurprisingly, the ones that most Brits think highest of, beating the likes of Ferrari, Lamborghini and Bentley down the order. In fact, the top three positions in the survey were filled by British car makers, with Bentley and Rolls Royce second and third respectively.

Lexus CT 200h F Sport revealed

Lexus CT 200h F-Sport - almost as sport as the LFA in the background Just as we’re getting used to the idea that the Lexus CT 200h might not be quite as bad as we thought – although we are still appalled by the ‘eggs in a basket’ mentality of offering just a hybrid – along comes a model that shouts oxymoron – the Lexus CT 200h F Sport. In an effort to appeal to those who want make a ‘Sporty’ statement, Lexus has decided that there should be an F Sport version of the hybrid-only CT 200h. Lexus are keen to point  out that the CT 200h F Sport “…receives a number of visual and performance enhancements in keeping with Lexus’ F Sport model line-up”.

Show Review: Salon Privé 2011

Salon Privé is billed as Britain's most elite car show and, with its lashings of pink champagne, lobster barbecue and attendees who look to have taken a wrong turn from the UK scripted-reality show, Made in Chelsea, it's certainly the glitziest. This year Salon Privé moved from its traditional home of The Hurlingham Club, just a (precious) stone's throw from the real-life set of the aforementioned show, to the grounds of Syon House in outer West London. Home to the Duke of Northumberland, Syon House's Italian Renaissance architecture and lush grounds provide a fitting background for such an event although those familiar with the locales of Villa d'Este on the shores of Lake Como, the Goodwood Festival of Speed in the heart of Lord March's idyllic West Sussex estate or the dramatic Californian coastline of Pebble Beach may be disappointed.