HONEST JOHN AWARDS - The Honda Civic Type R takes the Best performance award at this years ceremony.

Honda’s race car for the road, the Civic Type R, has been named as the most popular performance car at the annual Honest John Awards held yesterday in London.

Having won the ‘Best Real MPG’ award at the Honest John Awards last year with the frugal Civic 1.6 i-DTEC, this year sees the polar opposite with Honda’s sporting heritage triumphing with the aggressively styled Civic Type R, which hit showrooms last July.

The honestjohn.co.uk awards come from the best experts of all: the website users.  The awards are not decided by judges or a panel, instead recognising and rewarding the cars and vans that the users search for most on the site. Put simply, the reviews which create the most interest among honestjohn.co.uk users are the winners.

The British built Honda Civic Type R is powered by the most extreme and high-performing Type R engine ever built. The direct-injected turbocharged 2.0 litre VTEC TURBO petrol engine delivers power, torque and performance figures unmatched in the front-wheel drive hot hatch segment. Peak power output is 310 PS at 6,500 rpm, and peak torque is 400 Nm at 2,500 rpm – both higher than for any previous Honda Civic Type R model.

Dan Harrison, editor of honestjohn.co.uk commented: “One of the most highly anticipated cars of recent years among performance car enthusiasts, we rate the new Honda Civic Type R as one of the most engaging, enjoyable and exciting cars on sale. And honestjohn.co.uk users clearly agree with the Civic Type R proving popular enough to win Most Popular Performance Car for 2016. If you want a thrilling hot hatch, look no further.”

Phil Webb, head of cars at Honda UK, commented: “The latest incarnation of the Civic Type R continues to win awards but this award means more as it is simply down to the mass appeal of the car and the number of people searching for it on the Honest John website.”

Infiniti Concept Vision displayed at Gran Turismo® GT Sport Launch.

Displayed alongside seven other full-size concept cars, the largest ever gathering of GT concept vision cars in one place, the vehicle provides a visualisation of what a high performance Infiniti could look like in the future.

The car was developed through close collaboration with the creators of Gran Turismo®, the racing game franchise developed by Polyphony Digital Inc. that has sold more than 72 million copies worldwide. The Infiniti Concept Vision Gran Turismo will be featured in the new GT-Sport game when it is released in November.

The Infiniti Concept Vision Gran Turismo is a project that started as an ambitious global Infiniti Design competition to "design a pure Infiniti GT car". The winning model was born from the theme put forward by Infiniti's Design team in Beijing. Part beauty, part beast, its shape is powerful, sensual and audacious – a mix of a track machine and the dream of our Chinese design team to create an ambitious racing language for Infiniti.

The process of developing the design of the Infiniti Concept Vision Gran Turismo started with hand sketching, then refined digitally, refined again by hand sculpting, and then returned to digital for final refinement.

This project went much further than being a mere design exercise. It included thorough examinations and calculations of technical features such as aerodynamics and engine performance. The front mid-ship/trans-axle powertrain enables the finely distributed 45:55 front/rear weight balance that fills users with the joy of driving by actively drifting the rear.

As for aerodynamics, the under-floor airflow control, front and back diffusers, and uniquely shaped rear spoiler enable this car to demonstrate high performance without compromising the impact of the body design.

The best Vauxhall specific event takes part at the Santa Pod Raceway, dont miss it, this one's going to be good.

• Britain’s premier show for fans of performance Vauxhalls
• Takes place at Santa Pod, Beds, June 12, 2016
• Almost 2,000 club cars already booked in
• Early bird tickets still available with £5 entry discount

It’s the show that will leave you Griffin from ear-to-ear…

Britain’s premier event for fans of performance and modified Vauxhalls is gearing up to be one of the busiest yet, with club stand space already sold out and individual tickets selling like hot cakes.

The Performance Vauxhall Show (PVS) takes place at the famous Santa Pod drag strip on Sunday, June 12, and includes a number of features that are guaranteed to capture the attention of over 10,000 expected visitors.

With on-strip action, including the chance for owners to enter their own Vauxhalls in a VX-only ‘Run What Ya Brung’, Santa Pod will be spilling over with Griffin greats, be them retro Novas, Chevettes, Cavaliers and Astras, or more modern VX220s, Monaros and VXRs.

When classic and modern Vauxhalls aren’t going head-to-head on the iconic strip, the famous Santa Pod Jet Car will be in action. The record breaking Fireforce 3 develops more than 10,000bhp from its helicopter engine, and can reach a terminal velocity of over 300mph on the ¼-mile strip. But be warned – bring your ear plugs!

For those wanting to run something a bit tamer, drag strip tickets cost £20 per car on the day, or £10 on the Saturday for those who arrive early.

As well as the drag strip action, PVS promises a host of other features including a lively retail village for the latest parts, mods and memorabilia, a show and shine, and some of the best and busiest club displays going.Fast Car magazine will be there, along with Performance Vauxhall, with a special show subscription offer of £15 for six issues.

Further fun features include drift trikes, a firing range and a ‘Best Wheels’ award, sponsored by Wheel Whores.

Although the show itself takes place on the Sunday, part of PVS is the party atmosphere, and camping at the show on the Saturday evening is where the fun really begins. Weekend tickets, including camping, are available for £25 per person if booked in advance (saving £8). A late night bar, DJ and Santa Pod’s funfair will all be in action for the evening.

An early bird offer also applies to show day tickets - £18, as opposed to £23 on the gate. To buy tickets, visit

www.performancevauxhallshow.co.uk

PVS promises to be an action-packed weekend and a true highlight of the Vauxhall calendar, but hurry, because tickets are selling out fast…

This years Silverstone Classic will the biggest yet with a massive display of everything you can think of.

• American muscle cars out in force to mark UK club’s 20^th birthday 
• Special display and anniversary track parade on Saturday
• Car and Bike Clubs Display Package open until the end of May

As tradition dictates, this summer’s Silverstone Classic (29-31 July) will be home to a huge number of enthusiastic car clubs all celebrating significant model or marque milestones with vast displays and glittering track parades.

Recent events have exulted in record breaking birthday cavalcades of E-type Jaguars, Ferrari F40s, Porsche 911s, Ford Mustangs and Grand Prix racing cars. This year’s highlights will include an unprecedented gathering mighty Dodge Vipers, one of America’s most iconic muscle cars.

Originally conceived by Chrysler in the late eighties to be a modern day Cobra, the venomous Viper RT/10 Roadster first went on public sale in January 1992. While the finish of the dramatically styled two-door roadster was pretty spartan (there were no windows or exterior door handles!), it came with a Lamborghini-inspired 8-litre V10 engine and thus walloping 160+mph performance. A true US classic was born.

Four years later came a slightly more powerful and refined second generation Viper plus a GTS coupe version for road and track. Also in 1996, the United Kingdom Viper Club was formed and, thus, it is celebrating its 20^th anniversary with a record-breaking display at the 2016 Silverstone Classic. 

“The Classic weekend is going to be the biggest event for us in what’s a very special year,” enthused Adrian Swift, President of the UK Viper Club. “We have at least 16 Vipers coming from Europe to join us at Silverstone and expect to have more than 30 Vipers in Saturday’s track parade. It will be the largest number of Vipers that has ever been gathered together at one spot in the UK!”

It’s not only the UK Viper Club that will be out in force in July; a colossal number of car clubs now make the Silverstone Classic the base for their annual celebrations, and 2016 is set to be no different. Owners and enthusiasts will be marking 50 years of the iconic Lamborghini Miura, 70 years of Allard and 80 years since the introduction of the evergreen Morgan 4/4 – a car that is still being crafted in Malvern today making it the longest single model production run in automotive history.

Amongst all these varied celebrations, the retro-styled Nissan Figaro will be honoured 25 years since its launch. The distinctive little convertible has acquired a cult following in the UK, and is sure to be a standout feature at the Silverstone Classic.

Homegrown classics enjoying their weekend in the spotlight include the Lotus Esprit turning 40 this year, the Jaguar XK8 celebrating its 20^th birthday, plus the Triumph GT6 and Vitesse 2 Litre, which are both 50. In fact, wherever you turn within Silverstone’s vast infield, there will be huge club displays and festivities taking place.

And it’s not too late for others to join the party either – but time is running out. Special ‘Car Club Packages’ are available until the end of May. These offer members of registered car and bike clubs the chance to purchase two adult tickets plus a coveted infield display parking pass at a significantly discounted price. Club registration is free and full details can be found on the official website: http://www.silverstoneclassic.com/whats-on/clubs.

Whether drawn by the record numbers of Vipers or the myriad of other attractions at the world’s biggest classic motor racing festival, visitors must buy their tickets in advance. Adult admission starts at just £42 and sticks to the Classic’s widely-praised ‘access all areas’ policy. This provides admission to both National and Wing race paddocks, trackside grandstands, the vintage funfair, air displays and the live music concerts which this year include chart-toppers The Boomtown Rats, Reef and The Stranglers.

The 100,000th third generation, Skoda Superb has rolled of the production line, just a year after going on sale.

• Since 2001, more than 850,000 ŠKODA Superb models have been manufactured; 100,000 third-generation ŠKODA Superbs since March 2015
• Brand’s flagship in demand across all markets
• Substantial investments into ŠKODA Kvasiny plant, and employee recruitment

ŠKODA has produced 100,000 third-generation Superbs. The milestone vehicle ran off the assembly line at the ŠKODA plant in Kvasiny on 11^th May 2016. Since the model was introduced in 2001, the Czech manufacturer has produced more than 850,000 Superbs and the production capacity at Kvasiny has been expanded and modernised for the production of ŠKODA’s flagship.

“The production of this highly modern car is a testament to the outstanding competence of the Kvasiny plant and its employees,” said Michael Oeljeklaus, ŠKODA AUTO Board Member for Production and Logistics, adding: “The name Superb represents one of the best and most successful models in the automotive mid-class. This third-generation model will continue the Superb’s success story in the coming months and years.”

Since production began in March 2015, the latest ŠKODA Superb has demonstrated the emotional power of the brand with its new design. ŠKODA has now produced one hundred thousand third generation ŠKODA Superbs. Never before has a ŠKODA showcased so much technology, space and design in one package.

There are a host of new assistance systems from higher vehicle classes ensuring increased safety, better environmental protection and higher comfort levels. The third-generation Superb is more powerful and up to 30 percent more economical thanks to the new EU-6 engines.

The success of this model has not only been demonstrated by the high number of orders, but also by receiving numerous awards such as the 'Red Dot Award' for excellent product design and the title 'Car of the Year' in many European countries.

Since 2001, the ŠKODA Superb model family has crowned ŠKODA’s range. This ties the Czech automaker to its tradition of prestigious vehicles such as the Laurin & Klement FF, dating back to 1907 which was the first eight-cylinder model in Central Europe. In the 1920s, the first president of Czechoslovakia Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk, owned the luxurious ŠKODA Hispano-Suiza; the eight-cylinder ŠKODA 860 was an impressive sight in the early 1930s. And in 1934 the first ‘Superb’ rolled off the production line: the ŠKODA 640 Superb.

The new generation Superb first appeared in 2001, and customers have always appreciated this model’s overall package: space, elegant design, tried and tested technology, high levels of comfort, safety, functionality and excellent value for money. 

The second generation arrived in 2008: A vehicle with new, versatile uses, more technology and a timelessly elegant design. 

The ŠKODA Superb has also been available as an estate since 2009, and the third-generation estate version of the Superb has been running off the production lines since June 2015.

At the Kvasiny plant, the company made significant investments ahead of the new ŠKODA Superb’s start of production. A total of CZK 1.7 billion went into the new body-construction line alone and the Kvasiny site is being prepared for the brand’s SUV campaign. By 2018, ŠKODA intends to invest a total of CZK 7.2 billion into Kvasiny and create 2,000 new jobs. The production capacity will be gradually increased to 280,000 vehicles annually. Kvasiny is one of ŠKODA’s three production sites in the Czech Republic and the site currently employs more than 5,000 people, and is one of the largest industrial employers in the Hradec Králové region.

1974 Time Warp VW Beetle in mint condition with just 90km's on the clock is going up for auction.

A 42 year old Volkswagen Beetle,that has covered just 90 km, has been discovered in time warp condition and will be sold at Silverstone Auctions’ Classic Race Aarhus Auction in Denmark on 28^th and 29^th May.

Unique is a word often used incorrectly, but in the case of this 1974 Beetle, it is not inaccurate. With just one owner from new and only 90 kilometres on the clock, this little car must be one of the lowest mileage examples in existence still in its original condition.

Supplied new by G. Terragni Volkswagen, Genoa, Italy, on the 23rd January 1974, its first and only proud owner was an elderly gentleman by the name of Armando Sgroi. He had never owned a motorcar before and did not particularly want this one. However, he was a deeply religious man and walked every Sunday from his house in the hills to his local church. This was only a short distance, but it had become a struggle as he became more and more frail with age.

The car was used less and less as his church-going became more infrequent, up until the last outing in 1978, when the car was retired to a barn where it has remained for almost four decades. This little Beetle has recently been rediscovered, has been lightly recommissioned and will now be offered at auction. For sale for only the second time in its life, it will head to auction with an estimate of €35,000 to €40,000.

Speaking ahead of the sale, Nick Whale, managing director of Silverstone Auctions commented, “The VW Beetle is one of the most successful and loved cars worldwide, and we’re no strangers to them at Silverstone Auctions, but this one is a very special example and something we rarely see. With such an incredibly low mileage it is in virtually new condition, 42 years after it was first bought.”

Finished in blue with a black leather interior and all its original features, this left-hand drive, manual example still holds the original oil in the engine and is shod with its first set of tyres. The original books and invoice, along with its unwrapped tool kit, are also supplied with the car.

The car features as part of the Classic Race Aarhus Auction hosted by Silverstone Auctions and Lauritz.com at the prestigious motorsport festival in Denmark.

This year’s Goodwood Festival of Speed will host the global debut of the new special edition, MINI Seven.

This year’s Goodwood Festival of Speed (June 23-26) will host the global debut of the first design model of the current generation of MINIs, MINI Seven.

Taking its name from the very first Mini, the 1959 Austin Seven, MINI Seven has been designed to fuse the brand’s classic heritage with modern design and technology.

MINI Seven joins the current MINI Hatch range in 5-door or 3-door form and features specially designed exterior and interior looks unseen before on this generation’s model line-up.  

The new car, which will also feature a bespoke option pack called MINI Seven Chili, will be unveiled for the very first time at Goodwood’s Moving Motor Show on Thursday, June 23.

As well as the world premiere of MINI Seven, MINI will also have the new John Cooper Works Challenge Edition going up the famous 1.16-mile Hillclimb course in the First Glance category during the main FOS days.

The Festival of Speed will also represent MINI CHALLENGE racer Charlie Butler-Henderson’s debut as MINI’s newest brand ambassador, since working hard to defend his title as the CHALLENGE champion in 2015.

MINI will also have brand ambassador and Dakar Rally ace, Harry Hunt on hand to drive the MINI ALL4 Racing car, in which he finished 10^th in this year’s Dakar at his first attempt on the world’s toughest road race.

BMW Group – BMW, MINI, Rolls Royce and BMW Motorrad – will celebrate its illustrious sporting past and the diversity of its brands at this year’s Festival of Speed, with BMW taking centre stage as the Honoured Marque.

BMW and MINI will continue the centenary celebrations at Goodwood, during which they will focus on the future of mobility. As part of this, MINI will showcase its ‘Vision Vehicle’, created through partnerships with three pioneering experts in the fields of design, art and interactivity.

The week-long exhibition celebrating 100 years of the BMW Group, which is free to the public will showcase its three innovative ‘vision vehicles’ to the Roundhouse in Camden from 18^th – 26^th June.

Mazda showcases it;s best range ever at the Fleet Show 2016, from City Car to sports car and many in between.

• Style, performance and efficiency win fleet manager plaudits at the 2016 Fleet Show.
• Further corporate growth forecast as fleet chiefs back Mazda’s stand-out range.
• New launches like the 99g/km 1.5-litre diesel Mazda3 expand the marque’s appeal.

With one of the youngest ranges in the industry combined with low CO₂ emissions, Mazda’s stylish and good to drive model line-up is set to drive further fleet growth in 2016, following a trebling of corporate sales in the past three years.

Having recorded a 22 per cent year-on-year rise in fleet sales in 2015, which at more than 19,000 represented a seven-year high, Mazda arrived at the influential Fleet Show with an award-winning range and record sales. 

At the Show, fleet chiefs were able to drive key corporate models from the Mazda3, Mazda6, all-new Mazda CX-3 and Mazda CX-5 ranges, plus experience the World Car of the Year winning, all-new Mazda MX-5.

The Mazda6 remains Mazda’s fleet favourite, but the brand is reporting strong interest among user-chooser company car drivers for both the all-new Mazda CX-3 and Mazda CX-5 sports utility vehicles, while demand for the Mazda3 is rising following the arrival of the 105ps 1.5-litre SKYACTIV-D model with CO₂ emissions of just 99g/km.

Fleet Show visitors were able to drive the all-Mazda CX-3 and the all-new Mazda MX-5, for the first time at the event. Mazda UK’s Head of Fleet Steve Tomlinson said: “These models along with the addition of the low emission Mazda3, which offers the best power to CO₂ emissions ratio in the segment, have helped further strengthen our corporate sales offering. The Mazda range delivers broad appeal whether company car drivers require a mile-munching job need vehicle or a perk car focused around lifestyle.”

Ken Waites, director of Gloucestershire-base Waites Engineering, which has a 15-strong company car fleet, drove the low emission Mazda3 and said: “With emissions of just 99g/km it is very attractive from a company car tax viewpoint as well as not attracting road tax in 2016/17. Carrying an on-the-road price from £18,895, he added: “It is very good value for money. The handling was faultless; the car was comfortable and with plenty of low down torque was very responsive. I was impressed.”

While, Colin Oliver, fleet operations manager at professional services firm PwC, which runs a user-chooser fleet of some 1,750 cars, emerged from driving a Mazda CX-3 1.5-litre SKYACTIV-D with CO₂ emissions of only 105g/km and exceptional fuel economy as high as 70.6mpg, to say: “The company car benefit-in-kind tax regime is incentivising employees to drive greener vehicles.”

PwC already counts more than 60 Mazdas on its fleet and Mr Oliver said: “It was the first opportunity I’ve had to drive the CX-3. Employees have a completely open choice and SUVs are becoming more popular because of people’s lifestyles and their standout appeal in the company car market. The CX-3 performed very well. It is a good-looking car that has desirability and handled very well.”

Andrew Minham, fleet co-ordinator at Guildford Borough Council, which operates a 180-strong fleet including 50 cars, said: “We have some Mazdas on the fleet and some employees have asked out about the Mazda CX-3 and CX-5. The Council offers an open choice policy so I thought it was important to familiarise myself with both cars, which each delivered first class performance.”

Tony Miller, fleet co-ordinator at Coventry-based scientific instruments company Bruker UK, which already counts four Mazda6 and three CX-5 models on its 86-strong company car fleet, drove a number of the marque’s models.

He said: “Mazda cars have a good name on our fleet, particularly for their reliability and a style and design that is different from the norm. Drivers start to see Mazdas in the company car park and it immediately prompts interest. One person’s decision to have a CX-5 led to more inquiries about the model - they are the first SUVs we have had on the fleet.

“I was particularly interested in the Mazda CX-3 to see if it would be fit-for purpose for our fleet because we particularly like vehicles with low flat boot access for ease of loading. Benefit-in-kind tax is also important to our employees so we guide them towards low emission models.”

Mr Tomlinson said: “Mazda’s corporate sales are on a role and we are delighted with the reception that our range received at this year’s Fleet Show. Mazda has a powerful line-up that fleet decision-makers and company car drivers cannot ignore.”

Audi A7 drives it's self wherever you want to go, the technology is getting better and more realistic day by day.

• Piloted A7 displays the results of further character-building development work to foster ‘social competence’ 
• Audi A7 piloted driving concept: concept car impresses with its natural interaction with other road users during autobahn testing
• Navigation system can now devise routes containing maximum piloted driving opportunities
• Car-to-X communication: digital test site on the A9
• “First mile”: piloted driving in the urban environment

The evolution of the piloted Audi is continuing apace – the Vorsprung durch Technik brand’s latest research car, the Audi A7 piloted driving concept “Jack”, is now even more adept at operating just like a human driver – its autonomously performed motorway driving manoeuvres have been further refined, and it is now even more proficient at showing consideration for other road users. 

“Jack” exhibits a driving style that is adaptive to the given situation, safe and especially interactive – it is a research car with social competence.

Audi is continually advancing the development of its piloted driving test car. “Jack” – the internal nickname for the A7 Sportback-based technology platform – is now driving more naturally. 

This is illustrated by the way it confidently deals with hazardous points on the road, passes trucks with a slightly wider lateral gap and signals upcoming lane changes by activating the indicator and moving closer to the lane marking first – just like human drivers would do to indicate their intentions. The opportunities for taking full advantage of “Jack’s” piloted features are also now made more apparent to its driver – its sophisticated navigation system is now capable of computing a route containing the largest possible proportion of piloted driving sections.

The cooperative attitude of “Jack” is especially apparent when other vehicles want to merge into its lane on the motorway. Here the test car decides – based on the selected driving profile – whether to accelerate or brake, depending on which is best suited to handling the traffic situation harmoniously for all road users.

State-of-the-art zFAS controller

The super brain of piloted driving is the central driver assistance controller, or zFAS. It uses state-of-the-art, high-performance processors to evaluate the signals from all sensors in real-time and create a model of the car’s surroundings. This model represents the prevailing traffic situation as accurately as possible. It lets the zFAS calculate upcoming manoeuvres in advance, taking a look into the future, so to speak.

Piloted driving offers greater safety, more efficient utilisation of the transportation infrastructure and more relaxation time for the driver. Audi has already derived systems for assisted driving from the tested technologies, including the traffic jam assist function now available in the Audi A4 and Audi Q7.

Audi continues to document its progress in piloted driving with spectacular events. In the United States, for instance, a driverless Audi TTS etched the brand’s four rings trademark into the surface of a salt flat and also conquered the legendary hill climb up Pikes Peak in the Rocky Mountains without a driver. At the Hockenheim Motodrome, a driverless Audi RS 7 Sportback chased down the limits of driving physics in fall 2014. Since then, Audi has been demonstrating the next steps in piloted driving on public roads too, for example under real traffic conditions on American highways from the west coast to Las Vegas.

Digital test site on the A9 autobahn

The future is networked – this is especially applicable to piloted driving. In the future, cars and the infrastructure will communicate with one another more intensively. Common information interfaces are an important condition for this, so that the benefits of piloted driving can be better utilised on motorways. The digital test site on the A9 autobahn – announced by the German Federal Ministry of Transport and Digital Infrastructure – offers ideal conditions for evaluating and further developing future functions and concepts together with representatives of the Free State of Bavaria, the automotive industry and the IT industry. The brand with the four rings can once again probe the technical possibilities of Car-to-X communication here – under real road conditions and in real time.

In the future, information on variable-message traffic signs, for example, will be digitally transmitted into the car in order to assist the traffic flow. In addition, Audi is defining and testing elements of the future communications standard 5G together with IT partners. Car-to-X communication immediately enables piloted driving cars to use paved road shoulders when these are temporarily opened.

Another step forward is Car-to-Car communication between automobiles that are travelling on the same routes. They can report on hazardous points and accidents in real time. The driving speeds of other road users operating with piloted driving are then automatically adjusted to the potential hazard.

The local infrastructure plays a special role for piloted driving on the motorway. In addition to sensors in the car, signals from the environment give the driver a precise preview of the road ahead. Audi’s partners for the digital test site on the A9 autobahn, for example, are testing the internal composition and modified material structure of roadside posts. These are to be designed to reflect the radar sensors of cars even from greater distances. In addition, project participants within the scope of the test parameters are studying special traffic signs that allow the test vehicles to localize their positions with high precision within the various driving lane markings.

For most customers, the complexity of traffic situations significantly intensifies again along the route segment from the motorway exit to city zones. Audi is researching and developing another test site for this so-called “first mile” in Bavaria, near the redesigned autobahn exit “Ingolstadt-Süd.” From 2017, Audi – together with the city of Ingolstadt – will be testing construction methods such as the use of different types of pavement as well as technical solutions such as the use of sensors in junction zones. Piloted driving research cars from Audi are already being incorporated into the design of the new infrastructure. Test operation should begin in 2018.