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Skoda at the Paris motor show 2008

By Ben Whitworth Motor Shows 02 October 2008 17:33 Skoda launched its revised Octavia at the Paris motor show – and it's clear to see they've injected some mini-Superb DNA. And that was about it for the Czech marque this year; 2008 is a bit of a slow period for Skoda, before the product onslaught begins in earnest next year. With its new nose and tail bringing it into line with the new Superb, the Skoda Octavia now has much needed visual presence.

First Sight: Mercedes-AMG GT

“If I was to buy any sports car that wasn't a Mercedes, it'd be a Porsche 911,” says Mercedes' head of design, Gorden Wagener. “But when you see the two cars together, we think ours has the edge.” He's talking about the new Mercedes-AMG GT, a front-mid engined, two-seater sports car that's unashamedly aimed at higher-end 911s, and we've come to see it at Mercedes' Sindelfingen studio.  The GT replaces the larger SLS, and is seen by Wagener as the best example yet of his 'sensual purity' design philosophy: “The SLS is very much [he gestures] line, line with a surface in between. With the GT we started with the surface and worked to refine and reduce the number of lines.” Elements of the SLS's platform have been carried over, so the GT measures the same 1,939mm wide.

Touring Superleggera Disco Volante and Ralph Lauren Bugatti win at Villa d'Este

The Touring Superleggera Disco Volante was the surprise winner of the Design Award for Concept Cars and Prototypes at 2013 Concorso d'Eleganza Villa d'Este. It beat the likes of the BMW Pininfarina Gran Lusso Coupe, Aston Martin CC100, Infiniti Emerg-E and McLaren P1, although it should be said that BMW, as a major sponsor of the event, dosn't enter its cars into the vote. The Alfa Romeo-based sports car once again proved that if it's red Italian and with a Milanese connection, it's a dead cert for winning the prize, voted for by both the judges and the general public.