Top Gear filming in China for new series

Clarkson & May filming for Top Gear in China Escaping from the furore over his One Show comments, Jeremy Clarkson is in China with James May filming for Top Gear. After all the grief over his One Show comments (which, although a bit OTT, were actually not his views but an attempt to humorously demonstrate the BBC’s obsession with ‘balance’), Jeremy Clarkson has decamped to China – together with James May – to film for an episode of the new series of Top Gear. It looks like the piece they’re filming revolves around Chinese car clones, with the Shuanghuan Noble (Smart), Shuanghuan CEO (X5) and the Chinese version of MINI – the Lifan 320.

Aston Martin CC100 Speedster Concept celebrates Aston Martin’s Centenary (video)

Looking like a modern interpretation of the legendary AM DBR1 Le Mans car from the 1950s, the CC100 is a dramatic ‘Speedster’ concept powered by Aston’s latest V12 and makes its debut – driven by Ulrich Bez – at the 24 Hours of Nurburgring Race event in Germany today (19th May 2013). Aston put together the CC100 in less than six months (did no one tell them 2013 was Aston’s centenary year until last Christmas?), and roped in carbon fibre specialists Multimatic to create the body and interior from carbon fibre, and Aston Martin used the VHM platform to create the underpinnings for the CC100, and have powered it with the latest version of the V12 AM11 engine with a six-speed sequential gearbox. Chief Exterior Designer, Miles Nurnberger, said: The brief was very simple, yet enormously testing: create something that reflects the 100 years of Aston Martin heritage and signals the future of the brand.

Ferrari ups profits while cutting production (2013) CAR report

Eyebrows were raised in May 2013 when Ferrari chairman Luca di Montezemolo confirmed to a group of journalists, including CAR’s own Ben Barry, that the illustrious supercar maker wanted to slow its production rate and sell fewer cars in 2013. The strange-sounding order was decreed to help the brand retain its exclusivity, yet despite the gastric band on output, the Ferrari boss insisted profits could be upped. Impossible?