Steve Davies

Barely three months since the BMW Zagato Coupé was shown at Italy's Villa d'Este Concours d'elegance, BMW and Zagato have created another variant based on the same chassis for the 2012 Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance.

With production of the Exige S at Hethel now well underway, Lotus has turned its hand to producing a harder, faster and more track-ready version, due to be launched at this weekend's Lotus Festival at Brands Hatch.

The familiar adage, 'The customer is always right', can sometimes prove horribly untrue. Well all I can say is that it must have been a 'very' important customer who requested this car, otherwise surely this is one step too far the fledgling McLaren Automotive.

Viper Stripes. I had them on a MINI, but they seem kitsch next to the ones on SRT's Viper GTS Launch Edition Model, due to make its first official appearance at the renowned automotive events in Monterey, California this weekend.

Those of us of a certain age will remember the way cars used to be advertised back in the 1970s. Some of the most memorable ones might be considered sexist or even misogynistic these days, but there were also some real gems, the kind of promo shot which made both the car and the model look good.

This is the track-only McLaren MP4-12C racing concept, designed for the North American market and due to make its world debut at the Pebble Beach Concours event in California this weekend.