Steve Davies

As is the convention with BMW models as they near the end of their lifespan they receive a facelift, referred to by the catchy acronym LCI which of course stands for Life Cycle Impulse. Well you knew that didn't you?

We've already seen many of these facelift changes close-up in the 1 Series M Coupe that we reviewed last week, so can speak with some insight on what stands out the most.

It is perhaps ironic that Caterham face a similar challenge to their erstwhile neighbours up the road at Lotus, as they look towards the future shape of their model range. Just like Lotus they have a loyal and fanatical customer base whom the company depends on for their current success, but the relationship can sometimes been a fragile one - some of the core enthusiasts have been around longer than the current management team and take it upon themselves to regularly remind them of their responsibilities to the marque.

MINI New Zealand's Night Test Drives promotion started off innocently enough, offering customers the chance to test drive its latest models on the open road at a time when there was likely to be less traffic and other distractions.

The Aston Martin GT4 Challenge will return in 2011, with an increased number of races and an expanded grid. The one-make race series which is fundamentally based around the V8 Vantage road car provides the first step on the GT ladder.

It seems ironic that on the same day that Vauxhall announces its revolutionary Ampera Extended-Range Electric Vehicle (E-REV) will cost under £30k when it hits UK showrooms in early 2012, that they also choose to re-introduce the 6.2-litre V8-engined VXR8.

SkiddMark reader Andrew Mulholland was one of the first customers to view BMW's new 1 Series M Coupe when he joined us at our photoshoot last Thursday. He got the chance after responding to one of my tweets a few weeks ago (you can follow us at @DriversRepublic), offering a reader the chance to meet BMW's new M car, and it took him all of about 3 seconds to accept the invitation when asked!

It feels like we've been waiting an eternity to see BMW's newest M-car set free of its body mask and released on the road. We'll have to wait a little longer before it can be driven, so today is all about drinking in its muscular lines, discovering all of its unique M-features and describing what it's really like to see for the first time.

Already a firm favourite amongst driving enthusiasts for its chassis and engine, the Mégane Renaultsport 250 is now turning it's hand to privateer rallying in the shape of the Mégane Renaultsport N4. Developed for racing on asphalt, it draws upon a rich heritage of group N-homologated Renaults stretching back over a quarter of a century, including 5 GT Turbo, R11 Turbo, R21 2l Turbo, R19 16V, Clio Williams and Clio Renaultsport.