Steve Davies

Tom Cruise, producer and star of Mission: Impossible Ghost Protocol, which opens on December 21, took a break from post-production work to accept an invitation to test drive the 850 bhp Red Bull Racing Formula One car around Southern California's 2.5-mile Willow Springs circuit.

Now we know why Mercedes released pictures of just the 'inside' of their new B-Class a few weeks ago. Despite liberal use of the word 'sport' in the press release, we can't imagine many buyers choosing a B-Class for its external appearance or street cred. No, this is a car that's all about the experience of travelling inside a luxurious and well-designed cabin - a characteristic it borrows from the much maligned R-Class.

In a world first for a mid-engined sports car, the 458 Spider is equipped with a Ferrari patented fully retractable hard top, but where most hard top convertibles gain significant weight during such a transition, Ferrari's 458 Spider made entirely from aluminium is 25 kg lighter than a traditional folding soft-top weighing in at around 50kg more than the 458 Italia.

If the £330,000 Aston Martin asks for its V12 Zagato seems a little pricey, then why not go for something cheaper in the range that uses its performance on the track rather than today's busy roads. Enter the new V12 Vantage GT3, the car which replaces the highly successful DBRS9 and will set you back a mere £298,000.

Following on from its inaugural showing at the famous Villa D’Este Concours in May and its successful campaign in the Nürburgring 24 Hour a month later, the production V12 Zagato is all set to appear at the forthcoming Frankfurt motor show.

Following today’s Annual General Meeting (AGM), the British Racing Drivers’ Club (BRDC) has announced that Derek Warwick has been elected as BRDC President. Warwick, whose motor racing career includes 11 seasons and 147 starts in Formula One, wins in the prestigious Le Mans 24 hours race and the World Sportscar Championship, and three seasons in the British Touring Car Championship, has taken over the role from Damon Hill OBE.

Whether or not you're a fan of Porsche's most enduring model, it's impossible to ignore just how influential it has been in the world of motoring (and motorsport). At 48 years young, it might be getting on a bit and yet it shows no sign of stagnating. The 2010 911 GT3 R Hybrid became the world's first hybrid to compete in an international GT championship. But the crowning glory of Weissach's most iconic car is the role it plays as a benchmark for every other manufacturer to reach and (try to) beat.

The challenge whenever we test a car is to convey just how it feels behind the wheel. The tools at our disposal are words, pictures, video and sound, but I've always believed that you can't beat the sound of an engine at full-chat.

The Ford Mustang Boss 302 is all about the engine - NOT a muscle car engine as you might expect, but instead one of the finest normally aspirated V8s on the market today.