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Mini wins 'Car of the Year' award

THE BRITS finally enjoyed some success this summer as the latest Mini was named Auto Express magazine's Car of the Year 2014 at a lavish ceremony in London’s West End. This third-generation version of the Mini is built in Oxford, with engines made in Hams Hall near Birmingham and body panels coming from Swindon. As well as winning the overall Car of the Year Award, the Mini was also named Best Premium Small Car.

Exclusive First Sight: Pininfarina Sergio concept

Upon receiving the call from Pininfarina's PR man, asking if Car Design News would like to head to Torino for a preview of its latest concept car (not a hard offer to accept), we had no other information than its name – Sergio – and an abstract teaser shot of a detail. Driving through lovely, crumbly Turin, and out into the zona industriale towards Pininfaina's Cambiano base, the fear strikes: what if the car's a disappointment? What if it's simply some unremarkable supermini – maybe even an electric one?

McLaren 650S Spider joins 650S Coupe: Geneva Motor Show

The McLaren 650S Spider revealed at the Geneva Motor Show We had the reveal of the new McLaren 650S Coupe just last month, but what we didn’t get is the reveal of the Convertible version. But that’s all changed today with the arrival of the McLaren 650S Spider in Geneva with the same trick folding roof as the 12C Spider and the same cosmetic and dynamic changes as the 650S Coupe. That means open-top motoring with stunning performance – 0-62mph in 3 seconds and 124mph in 8.5 seconds thanks to the 650S’s 641bhp and 500lb/ft of torque from its updated 3.8 litre V8.