Cars

The world gets to see the lighter, greener and keener Continental, complete with eight-speed gearbox, at January's Detroit Auto Show. Meanwhile, however, Bentley is extremely fixated on all things V8 and twin-turbo and, during the driving event for pre-production Continental V8s, it wheeled out two Speed 8 LMP race cars. The Bentley boys were at Silverstone at the time, so it seemed entirely reasonable for car to meet track. So that is what happened.

The greatest Cavallini Rampanti, at the end of their lives, head not for the knacker’s yard but to the Museo Ferrari. Behind the modern glass facade are several levels and 2,500 square metres of exhibition space, housing the major models of the brand's history. More than 200,000 Ferrari enthusiasts, or Ferraristi, flock each year to the Italian Emilia-Romagna, to pay homage to their own personal sports or racing favourites in the metal. The Ferrari museum is very different indeed from the architectural spaceships of the Porsche museum and its ilk.

The electric technology used in the XC60 Plug-in Hybrid Concept is that found in the forthcoming V60 hybrid; however, the combustion side of proceedings in the off-roader takes place in Volvo’s all-new four-cylinder petrol engine, while the V60 uses a less potent five-cylinder turbodiesel.

The combined horsepower has led Volvo to give its new concept a ‘T8’ moniker, as it “moves the car into territory previously occupied solely by eight-cylinder engines”.

‘Tuning’ cars can often be a little hit-and-miss, although 1987 saw German specialist RUF create a car that not only honoured its roots, but also punched well above its weight. Based on a Carrera 3.2, the CTR1 (better known as Yellowbird, partially because of the ‘chirping’ sound its blow-off valve produced) took the fight to the Ferrari Testarossa and Lamborghini Countach – and even the Ferrari F40 and Porsche 959 – and won. Its top speed of 211mph (unofficially) made the special G-series the fastest car in the world for some years; it also held the lap record at the Nordschleife.

Here is a new, technologically-dense V8 engine in the nose of a Bentley Continental GT (or GTC), able to accelerate said Bentley at a rate broadly similar to that managed by the still-available W12 engine and on to most of the top speed. ('Over 180mph' compared with 198: who, honestly, will complain at that?)

The Frankfurt Motor Show always offers up some surprises. In 1981 this was no different, and in addition to the production car debuts such as the W126 S-Class coupé and Porsche 944, several design studies also captured visitor interest. Mercedes surprised in the climate of unbridled performance with three versions of its Auto 2000 concept car. It sounded like the future – after all, the year 2000 was still 19 years away – and in retrospect, it even gave styling cues to the W140 S-Class which went on sale a decade later.

The small town of Churchill in the Province of Manitoba is known for its white giants. This refers not only to the numerous polar bears which scour the landscape of the Canadian wilderness looking for prey, but also to the expedition vehicles that this foray can be observed from: the ten-ton Tundra Buggies.

The popularity of this model means hefty demand, and consequently a hefty price – and even so, genuine, original examples are becoming increasingly hard to find. But a top-quality Austin-Healey 3000 is worth the money you pay. Combining flair and fun, they are true British classics – proper representatives of a ‘Big Healey’. The example pictured here, its red paintwork combined with a black leather interior, is on sale at Altena Classic Service in Gramsbergen, The Netherlands.

The Carabo project was a collaborative effort between the Italian manufacturer and the Bertone styling house: a partnership which had previously borne fruits that included the 2000 Sportiva and BAT concept cars of the mid-1950s. The basis of the Carabo was a chassis numbered 75033.109 which was, more specifically, that of a 33 Stradale road car. Despite sharing mechanicals with the Tipo 33 race car and since being recognised as one of the most beautiful cars in history, Alfa had trouble finding owners for the Stradale due to its steep asking price of around $17,000.

In the polar region, a reindeer sleigh may be an adequate means of transport; but in snow-scarce Central Europe, Santa’s red-nosed servants are more likely to be a hindrance than a help in his quest for the rapid delivery of presents.