British Motor Show first details

By Ben Whitworth Motor Shows 17 December 2007 10:30 It may be a long way off on your automotive calendar, but next year’s 2008 British Motor Show looks set to be the biggest yet, with organisers expecting ticket sales to top the 550,000 mark. Housed at ExCeL London in the Docklands between 23 July - 3 August 2008, the show will feature more than 60 vehicle marques and 600 cars – including the global debut for the new Vauxhall Insignia and a preview of the new four-seater Lotus Project Eagle (mule for next-gen Eagle/Esprit chassis testing above). Although it’s still some eight months distant, over 80 percent of the stand space has already been sold, and the exhibition will also include the following attractions: • The Heritage Enclosure and Parade – a driving display providing the sights, sounds and thrills of supercars from the last five decades • Drift School – a chance for visitors to be driven sideways around a circuit by professional drivers • The Marine Experience – the British Marine Federation will display a line-up of luxury water craft as well as a programme of on-water entertainment • The Autoglym Supercar Paddock, a high-octane collection of luxury marques • The 4x4 Experience, a challenging terrain for testing the best of the off-road pack • Motor Theatre, a live-action stunt show Tickets to the Show will be on sale from February, with prices starting at just £8.

Report Claims Pothole Repair Blackhole Is £12bn

FIGURES from the Asphalt Industry Alliance (AIA) have revealed the extent of the nation’s pothole crisis, with a report claiming the "catch-up" cost of getting roads back into reasonable a condition has soared to £12 billion. The total is an increase on the £10.5 billion figure reported last year, and remains high despite more than two million potholes being filled in England and Wales over the last 12 months. This was despite a 20% decrease in the shortfall in annual road maintenance budgets reported by local authorities, with the shortfall reducing from an average of £6.2 million to £5.1 million per authority in England.

Seat Leon Cup Racer revealed

Volkswagen’s Spanish daughter company, Seat, has unveiled the new Leon Cup race car. Set to get a public airing at this week’s Woethersee fan meet in Austria, the new front-wheel drive hatchback runs a heavily tuned version of parent company Audi’s EA888 turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder petrol engine developing about 325 hp and 184 lb-ft of torque. In standard guise, drive is channeled through a six-speed dual-clutch gearbox.