Cars

Until the 8 April, the imagery will accompany the major Ferrari retrospective at the Pantheon. After that, the display will make its way to Cape Town and Johannesburg, before being shown in Japan, China and Hong Kong.

The photographer Gunther Raupp told Classic Driver of his enthusiasm for Ferrari sports cars: “A Ferrari is more than just a sports car. Indeed, the value of a Picasso adds up to more than just the value of the canvas and the paint. My pictures show that Ferraris are just the same.”

The Lyonheart K came about when Swiss businessman Robert Palm teamed up with Swedish designer Bo Zolland to create a modern remake of the much-loved Jaguar. Last year, it previewed the car under the name ‘Growler’ – but it’s now been given some styling tweaks and, thankfully, a name change. In its latest incarnation, the Lyonheart K should reach series production, as long as 50 pre-orders are placed.

Does this signal a revival of the battle between the Italian design houses that kept us captivated through the second half of last century? We certainly hope so, because that rivalry produced some of the most beautiful cars we’ve ever seen.

Pininfarina’s contender – named after the Turinese municipality in which the design house is headquartered – is a diesel-hybrid saloon. In each wheel sits a 79bhp electric motor, while a diesel turbine resides under the bonnet. Pininfarina claims a top speed of 170mph, with an impressive sprint to 62mph from rest in 4.2 seconds.

The limousine underwent its extraordinary transformation for its role as the centrepiece in the ‘Otis’ music video, performed by Grammy award-winning rappers Jay-Z and Kanye West. The final scene of the video promised that the car would be auctioned off for charity – and the duo have made good on their pledge.

A few weeks ago, Bertone released teaser sketches of the concept which showed a resemblance to the firm’s wedge-shaped concept cars of the 1970s – in particular the Stratos, which we featured in last week’s Classic Concepts series.

The ‘Concept M135i’ that BMW will launch at Geneva is not only the hottest 1 Series yet, it also introduces the three-door bodyshell of the German company’s smallest car.

In a slightly impenetrable press release, BMW confirms 18in alloy wheels, a straight-six petrol engine “featuring M Performance Twin Power Turbo technology” – presumably turning out well in excess of 300bhp – and the requisite suspension, braking and aerodynamic tweaks to keep it on the Autobahn.

At the 2012 Geneva Motor Show, Land Rover Design Director Gerry McGovern will present a soft-top version of the highly rated Evoque two-door coupé. A ‘concept’ only, the design study is intended to gauge public reaction to the idea of an open off-roader; clearly ‘lifestyle’ writ large.

Were it not for the marque’s unrivalled capabilities away from the Tarmac, the cynical might consider it merely another marketing-led initiative.

The Evoque Convertible Concept will be equipped with a cloth, “fully retractable premium roof system with a Roll Over Protection System”.

A single, Gulf-backed factory entry will appear in all rounds of the eight-race FIA World Endurance Championship. At Le Mans on 16/17 June, it will be joined by another car – drivers to be announced.

The first race is the Sebring 12 Hours on 17 March.

Like its successful predecessors, much of the new Vantage GTE is based on the road car, but with extensive modification for increased performance (lower weight, more powerful engine, superior aerodynamics) and safety.

The car will compete in the ‘GTE Pro’ category for teams fielding an all-professional driver line-up.

The revised handling is controlled by the car’s Drive Dynamics Control system. A rotary switch mounted next to the gearshift selector allows the new Sport setting to provide enhanced grip, body control and steering accuracy. “Without compromising ride comfort,” says Bentley.

Reprising Mulliner features of models past, the seats of a Mulsanne to Mulliner Driving Specification are diamond-quilted and perforated, with an all-new process producing the diamond-pattern perforations with ‘solid’ tramlines in-between.

Bertone’s plan was to design a futuristic, mid-engined replacement for the Fulvia – a car that was being rapidly left behind on the world rally stage by such mid-engined rivals as the Renault Alpine and Ford GT70. The problem was that Lancia favoured Pininfarina, so Bertone had to move stealthily. “If I had as much as mentioned my idea to Lancia,” he said later, “it would have been vetoed out of hand.” So it was only shortly before ‘Project Zero’ appeared at the 1970 Turin Motor Show that Bertone revealed it to Lancia… and received the Italian manufacturer’s approval.