Cars

Finished in a special ‘Aviator Grey’, each Coupé will receive a suite of exclusive design concepts, interior colour combinations and new materials. Many of the details are said to be inspired by Charles Stewart Rolls – co-founder of the company but also himself a pioneer of aviation – along with the Supermarine S6B seaplane, which won the Schneider Trophy in 1931 with its famous Rolls-Royce V12 engine.

That’s not to say that the great Texan’s arch rival Ferrari wasn’t present in force. Particularly at the auctions, where RM’s quite delicious 250 GT Tour de France, together with a host of other Ferraris including the mighty 410 S Berlinetta we drove only recently, wowed one and all.

Clearly based on the Zagato Coupé which debuted at the Villa d’Este Concorso d’Eleganza in May, the mysteriously dark teaser image depicts a roadster with muscular haunches that just about catch the light. The open-topped car’s purposeful stance is reminiscent of the coupé concept, which was designed by the in-house BMW team led by Adrian van Hooydonk, in partnership with the Zagato design chief Norihiko Harada in Italy, and showcased the trademark Zagato double-bubble roof and distinctive Kamm tail.

The 12C racing concept has been designed for the North American market by McLaren GT, the recently established race-car manufacturing arm of the McLaren Group. The McLaren Orange livery is a tribute to the 1960s and 1970s race cars of Bruce McLaren and Denny Hulme and creates a striking visual contrast to the satin black of the roof, doors and bumpers. The side radiator vanes, wing mirrors and engine cover are also in carbonfibre.

When it goes on sale next month, the new Range Rover will be the first SUV with an all-aluminium body structure. This will contribute towards a very substantial overall weight saving of up to 420kg, which should naturally lead to improved performance, economy and handling.

Not that handling improvements have been left at that, however: revised all-corner air suspension is said to further improve agility, while also maintaining the ride quality of its predecessor. Other advances in refinement include lamination to the windscreen and door windows, which reduce unwanted acoustics.

Video: Porsche