Laurens Van Den Acker, Senior Vice President of Renault Corporate Design, said it first: they didn’t want to create a nostalgia-car, and in fact this is not a mere “remake” of the glorious A110: the brand new Alpine A110-50 is meant to be the modern rendition of an iconic model, with updated forms and new contents. Mr.Van Den Acker imagined an almost futuristic sportscar made of carbon fiber, inspired by the old A110 and influenced by the design of the DeZir concept, so he asked for the support of renowned designers Yann Jarsalle and Axel Breun and came up with the amazing car you can admire in these pics.

Elements such as the double headlamps, the gull-wing doors and the bonnet hinged at the front are clearly reminiscent of its prestigious ancestor, but the new A110-50 surely denotes the personality of a car not so tied to the past like the name would suggests. In this regard, the introduction of this new shade of Alpine Classic Blue for he livery is quite emblematic.

The A110-50 measures 4.33 meters in length, 1.96 in width and 1.23 in height, with a wheel base of 2.62 meters. The entire powertrain comes from the Megane RS Trophy model, including the mid-mounted 3.5-liter V6 engine, which is credited with an output of 400 hp and 422 Nm and coupled 6-speed sequential transmission. This new French sportscar weighs 880 kg and has a weight distribution ratio of 47,8:52,2. The braking system consists of four steel discs courtesy of AP Racing with a diameter of 356 mm at the front and 330 mm at the rear. The A110-50 rolls on 21″ alloy wheels fitted with Michelin tires, the suspension uses a double wishbone layout on both axles while the Sachs shock absorbers are adjustable in compression and release.

The interior features bucket seats, Sabelt belts for four points and a nice screen located right in front of the steering wheel. Also pretty remarkable is the aerodynamic work behind its design study, which is emphasized by the presence of a spiltter at the front and a quite flashy wing at the back: the first creates a depression on the bottom of the car, while the latter works in conjunction with the diffuser to ensure a greater load.

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Vencer, an all-new Dutch car manufacturer, has released pictures of their first super car, the Sarthe. The super sports is a two-seater, with a design that in some lines (front) reminds of the McLaren F1 and mounts large and flashy alloy wheels. Its strength comes from the total weight of 1,390 Kg, achieved through the use of special materials like carbon fibre for the bodywork and chrome - molybdenum for the frame.

Under the hood of the Vencer Sarthe lies a GM-sourced, centre positioned V8 engine, developing an output of 510 hp and 650 Nm of maximum torque, according to what reported by Autoblog.nl. The supercar boasts true sports performance: 0-100 km/h in 3.8 seconds and top speed of 326 km/h. The Sarthe is equipped with ABS and EBD safety systems. At present no information about pricing and number of units produced has been released.

Continue reading: Vencer Sarthe: new Dutch carmaker

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The following pictures show the new pick-up track Mitsubishi L200 Barbarian Black, a special edition only available in Britain. This version is based on the middle-sized Double Cab model and sports a white livery featuring an array of black details including the roof, grille, wing mirrors, door handles, fuel filler cap, 17-inch alloy wheels and “Barbarian Black” side decals.

The interior is characterised by leather seats –with ‘Barbarian Black’ logo -and Kenwood multimedia system with seven-inch display and reversing camera. The L200 Barbarian Black will be available with manual transmission at a price of £23,899 and with a 5-speed automatic gearbox at £ 25,299.

View the full Mitsubishi L200 Barbarian Black photo gallery

Continue reading: Mitsubishi L200 Barbarian Black Special Edition

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Renault expands the Twingo range and introduces the limited edition Etoile, featuring unique design elements inspired by the Twingo Dzine. The special version comes with Marron Shiny Metallic paint that recalls the sparkling effect of the diamonds scattered on the Dzine. The interior has been enriched with saddle brown faux leather and fabric, embroidered stars on the headrests and vents and knobs also painted in Shiny Brown.

Manual climate control, radio CD with MP3, Bluetooth, USB connectivity and sliding rear seats come as standard. The engine range includes the 1.2-litre petrol and the 1.5-litre dCi diesel, both with output rated at 75 hp. The Renault Twingo Etoile will be produced in a limited number of 800 units and will be available from the 28th May at a starting price of 10,000 euros, which includes a free clutch bag, for the first 100 buyers.

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These exclusive spy shots show the Volvo S60 on the roads of Germany. These are the first pictures of the 400 hp version, snapped by a reader of the Swedish magazine Teknikens Värld.

The Volvo S60 has been created in collaboration with Polestar, tuner and partner of the carmaker in its touring racing models, and it represents the brand’s response to the BMW M3 and the Mercedes C 63 AMG. As far as we can remember the Volvo C30 Polestar (PCP) had been praised by everyone, including Top Gear’s Jeremy Clarkson.

Officially the car in the photos should be a T6 AWD with 304 hp, but we have reason to believe that the engine under the hood of the vehicle is much more powerful. There are speculations about a V8 produced by Yamaha, the same one as seen on the XC90. During these times of downsizing, however, we think it is more appropriate to boost the in-line six-cylinder in order to achieve an output of 350-400 hp.

Continue reading: Volvo S60 Polestar Spy Shots

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It’s Friday, time to lie back, relax and enjoy our Casual Friday column! This week we’re talking about an Epic Win: how many of us have had the problem of parking a car in a garage that is just too small? The “star” of this video comes from Belgium and drives an old red Fiat Panda as wide as the parking space.

For many of us this would cause a major problem, enough to change car, or garage, or even house … The character of our clip has instead found a very clever solution. Epic Win to him, then and 10 out of 10 for his problem solving skills!

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The formula “Gran Coupe” will soon be available for a second BMW. The news comes from Auto Express that reveals some details about the new 4-Series Gran Coupe. The car will be built using the same framework and main mechanical components of the 4-Series: it will be measuring about 4.65 m in length, considerably less than the 5.1 m of the 6-Series Gran Coupe, but suitable to enter the D-segment. The wheelbase will increase of a few centimeters, to provide more space for the rear passengers.

Stylistically it will share few elements with the 3-Series. The headlights extend as far as the double kidney grille, forming a continuous optical unit, while the aluminum inserts give a luxurious and refined look to the car. The BMW designers will then restyle the sweeping roofline, which will define the third pillar. The engine range will include a 2.0-litre and 3.0-litre turbocharged petrol or diesel. An M variant is also on the list. The 4-Series Gran Coupe will make its debut in late 2013.

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Diminutive Spanish manufacturer IFR Automotive - that we admit is fairly unknown to most people - has recently changed its name to Aspid and has just released a teaser offering a glimpse of the main lines characterizing its next model, which will soon be introduced to the public. According to Autocar, this new car will make large use of lightweight materials and will be powered by either a traditional V8 petrol engine or a hybrid system with KERS.

The previous model released by the carmaker - which was tentatively named Aspid and got introduced at the 2008 London Motor Show four years ago - could be described as a contemporary interpretation of the classic English lightweight car with no compromises (see the gallery by clicking on the thumbnails below), but this new one doesn’t seem to follow in those footsteps. We will be waiting for clearer images.

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The Ford Taurus SHO is the car that Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones use in the new Men in Black 3 movie to carry on their never ending fight against the most evil aliens of the universe, although the model surely had to undergo some serious enhancement to live up to that task.

The latest sequel of the Men in Black series features a slightly modified Taurus SHO with a completely black livery and blacked out tail lights, but the engine is still the usual 370 hp 3.4-liter turbocharged EcoBoost unit, coupled to the ‘regular’ 6-speed automatic transmission. The American saloon car first showed its new guise at the latest New York Motor Show, introducing a new look as well as a brand new engine range, made of more powerful and less thirsty units.

Not considering the futuristic trickery that Mr.Smith and Co. might have added, inside the Ford Taurus we have the usual cutting-edge technological solutions including the new MyFord Touch multimedia system with simplified controls and various other upgrades that brought a breath of fresh air to the cabin. By the way, the SHO version of the movie is the sportiest one of the range, with 19″ wheels, rear spoiler and several other aesthetic improvements.

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Kia has released a new video of the next generation Cee’d. The five-door hatch will be on the UK market with prices ranging between £14,395 and £23,795. The Cee’d is a versatile vehicle ideal for the city and for long journeys, very spacious and comfortable, with plenty of technical solutions.

The car boasts a great Flex Steer system which allows the driver to select three steering modes, in order to make the Cee’d adaptable to different driving situation. Inside the car is simple yet elegant, equipped with the latest gadgets, such as infotainment system featuring TFT Supervision Cluster display.

There is a choice of four engines ranging from 90 to 135 hp: a 1.4-litre petrol with 100 hp and a 1.6-litre petrol with 135 hp, a 1.4-litre diesel with 90 hp and a 1.6-litre VGT diesel offered in two steps of tune, 110 and 128 hp.

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