Jaguar Xj8 Door Handle Set 98-03 on 2040-parts.com

Driven: BMW i8

When BMW unveiled the Vision EfficientDynamics concept at the 2009 Frankfurt motor show, we wrote: "for our money, it's the first time a major carmaker has really attempted to communicate ‘green' technology in an aesthetic sense." Fast-forward five years and we've swapped the show halls of the IAA for a beauty spot on the north-west coast of Scotland. And, while the car's name has changed to i8, our sentiment towards this genre- and era-defining car remains. Admittedly the production car's design execution hasn't received the universal praise of its concept forebears, but, on a remote outpost of the British Isles, a Protonic Blue i8 couldn't look more exotic.

Land Rover Defender Harris Tweed (2012) prototype

Here's a curious mix of classic Britishness and modern modifications: a Kahn-tuned Land Rover Defender fitted with a butch bodykit, enormous multispoke wheels and knobbly tyres and - inside -tweed-trimmed bucket seats. It's like a Spitfire wearing a Damien Hurst-penned livery. This is, to give the car its full title, the Kahn Defender Concept 17 Wide Body - Harris Tweed Prototype.

Mini E Racer (2010) takes on the Nurburgring

In these days of 7min laps, rounding the Nurburgring in 10min hardly classes as electric. Unless you’re in a Mini E. A battery-powered baby BMW driven by ex-DTM racer Thomas Jäger turned in a 9m52 lap, hitting a heady – but presumably near silent – 116mph on the way.