By
Tim Pollard

Memory Lane

30 June 2010 16:27

It was sad to hear this week of the death of Charles Spencer ‘Spen’ King, the creator of the original Range Rover. His death following complications from a cycling accident was announced on Monday.

King was a big figure in the world of British Leyland and worked at Rover from 1945, rising to become chief engineer in 1959. Vehicles developed under his watch included the Rover P6, Triumph TR6, Rover SD1 and Triumph Stag, but we’ll best remember him for the original Range Rover of 1970. This was a novelty at the time, as 4×4s were seen as workhorses not luxury cars – and the

By
Georg Kacher

Motor Industry

29 June 2010 10:29

As predicted by CAR Magazine, Volkswagen last year bought a 19.9% stake in Suzuki. But according to the Wolfsburg grapevine, the minority interest is set to increase by 10% annually over the next four to five years. Fact or fiction? Neither party will tell.

The two car makers are equally tight-lipped with regard to a low-cost version of the VW Up! which may – or may not – be built by Suzuki on behalf of the Germans for distribution in certain low labour-cost markets. Using the modified underpinnings of the similarly sized Alto, this oriental-teutonic hybrid could not only work in countries like India and

By
Mark Passer

Motor Shows

29 June 2010 11:48

The Goodwood Festival of Speed 2010 descends on Lord March’s Sussex estate this weekend, so here at CAR Online we’ve put together a nady guide to make sure you get the most out of what promises to be a  weekend of motoring nirvana. Especially if this uncharacteristically hot British summer weather continues.

Goodwood Festival of Speed 2010: bigger and better?

Undoubtedly. The Festival of Speed has escalated in size and status over the past decade, becoming one of the most revered events on the motoring calendar. So far Lord March seems to have kept its innate magic intact, despite the increase in size and commercial importance.

By
Tim Pollard

First Official Pictures

28 June 2010 10:40

Mini has facelifted its range of hatchbacks, Clubman estates and Convertible soft-tops for the 2011 model year. There’s the subtlest of design upgrades – mainly to the lights, front and rear – plus a family of new diesel engines.

The new 2011 Mini goes on sale in August 2010. Here’s how you’ll spot the new ones from the thousands of Minis already out there.

Mini facelift: the design story

All Minis sport a new front bumper, designed for pedestrian protection reasons. But it’s marked out by new foglamps either side of the air intake – and Cooper S models get wedgy air intakes to cool

By
Tim Pollard

First Official Pictures

25 June 2010 11:00

British artist Damien Hirst has helped Audi produce this art car: an Audi A1, which sold for €420,000 (£350,000) at a charity raffle.

The Audi A1 Damien Hurst was shown at pop star Elton John’s White Tie and Tiara Ball and the money raised goes to his AIDS foundation.

Elton John on the A1

‘That’s the most exciting object we’ve ever had on auction at the White Tie,’ said Sir Elton. Well, he would, wouldn’t he? Hirst painted the A1 at his Gloucestershire studio at the same time as a 1.8m high canvas, which was sold at the auction.

Clearly

By
Ben Oliver

Analysis

25 June 2010 11:51

Once every five years is quite enough. I drew CAR Magazine’s first ‘Tube map’ of the global car industry in 2005 and it nearly fried my brain. The idea seemed simple. With a nod to Harry Beck’s iconic schematic of the London Underground, we’d represent all the major automotive groups as lines and their brands as stops. The lines would only cross where the groups had a significant joint venture; developing new technologies or building cars or engines together. Simple? You try doing it.

>> Click here to download and view the 2010 car company Tube map

>> Click here to download and