2004 Buell Blast P3 J18 Rear Sprocket on 2040-parts.com

Ford supercars

By 29 July 2008 09:00 The Blue Oval might be more at home building Escorts and Mondeos, but it too has dabbled in the superecar arena in the past four decades. And considering the company's main engineering focus, the two supercars it has built both qualify for CAR's landmark supercar status. The original GT40 was a rude shock to Maranello and took a string of racing victories home as proof; the newer GT was equally adept and more than one magazine placed it ahead of its Italianate contemporaries.

Hertz Lotus Hire in Italy

Hertz are now offering the Lotus Elise SC for hire in Italy Hertz and Lotus have the answer – drive a Lotus Elise to show the Italians they’re not the only ones to make a cracking two seater (and a lot cheaper). Hertz has teamed up with Lotus to offer a fleet of bright yellow Lotus Elise SC at select outlets throughout Italy from the middle of this month. True to say you could probably have hired yourself a Lotus before to trolly round Italy, but with a big car hire company like Hertz in on the plan you can be pretty sure there will be a lot of takers.

Audi RS Q3 set for Beijing motor show reveal

Audi has lifted the veil on a production-based concept from its quattro performance division that previews a range-topping variant of the Q3 for European markets. Called the Audi RS Q3, the go-fast version of the company's compact SUV is planned to make its public debut at next week's Beijing motor show, packing a 355-hp version of the same turbocharged, direct-injection 2.5-liter five-cylinder gasoline engine found in the TT RS, set in a stylized bay featuring carbon-fiber trim panels. With its drive channeled to all four wheels through a seven-speed S-tronic dual-clutch gearbox, the RS Q3 is claimed to hit 62 mph in 5.2 seconds and to reach a top speed of 165 mph.