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2011 Audi R8 GT, an AW first look

Three years after it burst onto the supercar scene, Audi has unveiled a hard-core version of its R8 called the GT. Based on the existing mid-engine R8 V10 and incorporating aerodynamic, weight-saving and mechanical developments used by the company's R8 LMS GT3 race car, Ingolstadt will build just 333 copies of the new 560-hp four-wheel-drive performance flagship. Pricing has not yet been revealed, but given the extent of the changes to the new two-seater, buyers should expect a hefty premium over the R8 V10's $147,000 price tag when the GT goes on sale in North America.

Aston Martin. Burj Al Arab Hotel. Helicopter. Mix & Serve.

As part of Aston Martin’s Centenary celebrations in Dubai, an Aston Martin Vanquish has been helicoptered to the top of the Burj Al Arab hotel. There’s no more extra power on offer from the centenary edition Astons, but they do get a special paint job and interior and come with solid silver enamelled plaques commemorating the centenary, even if Aston Martin seem to have only been able to cobble together a Vanquish Centenary Edition so far. But things have got a bit more spectacular in Dubai, with Aston Martin using a helicopter to stick a Vanquish on the helipad of the Burj Al Arab hotel in Dubai, 1,000 ft up at the top of the iconic sail-shaped building.

Essex boost for car loving home buyers

An Essex council is to make garages and drives bigger on new homes For most of the last decade the UK Government has waged a war on the motorist. Endless speed cameras, which are in reality just tax-raising  machines and have little to do with road safety; never-ending fuel tax rises; congestion charging; spiralling parking charges; road-charging schemes and the only coppers you see have a speed gun so non-speeding untaxed and uninsured drivers never get caught -  pushing up costs for the rest of us. But one of the most stupid, head-in-the-sand policies was the idea that new houses should encourage people to forsake their cars by making garages too small and off-street parking almost non-existent.