DETROIT — General Motors will be bringing its much-anticipated 2011 Chevrolet Volt to the 2009 Los Angeles Auto Show in two weeks, making a few media and consumer-oriented stops along the way.

As part of the rollout program, Inside Line has been invited to drive the Chevy Volt when it reaches Los Angeles. We’ll be reporting on the electric sedan’s driving experience via Chevy Volt video, road tests and blog posts, and will be using our Twitter and Facebook pages to help readers gain access to the latest Chevy Volt pictures as quickly as possible.

Inside Line says: Watch this space during Thanksgiving weekend. — Kelly Toepke, News Editor

Woodcliff Lake, NJ - October 23, 2009… The BMW 5 Series Gran Turismo will make its North American debut at the South Florida International Auto Show October 23-November 1. For the first time, attributes of an elegant sedan, a contemporary Sports Activity Vehicle and a classic Gran Turismo are masterfully melded into a single, harmonious vehicle shape. The BMW 5 Series Gran Turismo adds new facets to BMW’s Ultimate Driving Machine tradition and refines the concept of first-class travel.

The traditional European term Gran Turismo (Grand Touring) was first applied by Italian carmakers in the 1950s when they combined the performance, handling, and style of a 2-seat sport car with luxurious amenities and luggage room for each occupant. BMW’s new Gran Turismo nurtures this tradition in its own contemporary way, providing exceptional space, style, luxury, and comfort for four passengers[1], plus the performance and driving pleasure of a BMW.

It does so with 21st-century technology. BMW’s wide-ranging EfficientDynamics engineering philosophy endows this new automobile with an outstanding balance between performance and efficiency. Thanks to its innovative twin turbo V-8 engine and 8-speed automatic transmission, the 550i Gran Turismo can accelerate from rest to 60 mph in just 5.4 seconds, yet delivers excellent efficiency in everyday driving.

Design: Abundant sportiness, elegance, luxury and versatility.

• Typical BMW proportions communicate dynamic character and sportiness.




• Long wheelbase and graceful, coupe-like roofline.




• An interior with contemporary design, generous dimensions and premium materials.

The BMW 5 Series Gran Turismo radiates a unique blend of sportiness and stylish presence. Typical BMW proportions, four doors with frameless windows, and a coupe-like roofline combine into a harmonious, highly distinctive silhouette that visually represents this vehicle’s innovative capabilities.

The Gran Turismo’s visual presence is a fusion of established BMW identity and new elements. Its elongated hood and long 120.7-inch wheelbase coalesce with a “greenhouse” set well aft and a fastback roofline into a profile that’s immediately recognizable as a BMW, yet at the same time communicates a new vehicle concept. From the first glance, it’s clear that this is an exceptionally roomy vehicle, yet also a highly dynamic one.

Inside the 5 Series Gran Turismo, users find generous dimensions, inspired contemporary design, and individualized luxury. Sweeping contours – such as those of the interior door panels – combine with rich, premium-quality materials to create an ambiance that’s equally satisfying to front and rear occupants.

At the front: thoroughly modern, traditionally BMW.

The Gran Turismo’s frontal aspect has a marked forward thrust, with its traditional BMW “kidney grille” leaning slightly forward and emphasized by its separation from the flanking (also traditional) four round headlights.

In profile: frameless door windows and a new form of “Hofmeister Kink.”

The 5 Series Gran Turismo is also the first 4-door BMW to have frameless door windows - a feature BMW usually reserves for Coupes and Convertibles. These give an “open” look to side and angled views of the vehicle.

Over the years, another window detail has become a tradition: BMW’s so-called “Hofmeister Kink,” named after Wilhelm Hofmeister, who headed BMW design when this shape first appeared. On the Gran Turismo, it appears in “6-window” (3 windows per side) form in the rear quarter windows aft of the rear doors, framed in matte black plus chrome or optional high-gloss Shadowline black trim.

At the rear: aesthetically and functionally distinctive

Another BMW design tradition, in evidence since the second-generation 7 Series was introduced for 1988 is the freely interpreted L-shape of the rear lighting clusters. On the 5 Series Gran Turismo this theme is retained but new LED lighting tubes wrap far around the body sides and provide yet another recognizable BMW design cue. Together, these elements reinforce the impression of the Gran Turismo’s wide stance, which is further enhanced by strong horizontal lines spanning the bi-modal trunk and likewise tying into the character lines of the side profile.

Function, as much as the handsome aesthetics, is the main attraction of the 5 Series Gran Turismo’s interesting rear view. Below the rear window is a conventional, though shorter-than-usual, sedan trunklid that opens separately to reveal a fully enclosed trunk – sealed off from the passenger cabin by an acoustic partition that renders the interior as quiet as that of a sedan.

To take full advantage of the 5 Series Gran Turismo’s great cargo capacity, the liftgate – including lower trunklid, rear window and an upper section reaching a few inches above the window – can also be opened. There are two releases, one for the trunklid alone, the other for the entire liftgate including trunklid.

Interior design: spacious luxury at its finest.

The BMW 5 Series Gran Turismo interior combines space, luxury and stylish materials to create a premium ambiance. In the rear seats as well as up front, there’s a sense of generous space and comprehensive amenities, promoting relaxed and accommodating travel.

The outstanding feeling – and reality – of spaciousness is enhanced by design and materials. Dash and instrument panel lines are decidedly horizontal; door panels sweep dramatically and harmoniously from front to rear. Thanks to their frameless designs, the door windows are larger than they would be with frames, adding to the openness of the cabin. The dual-panel panoramic moonroof, standard on the U.S. model, also contributes to these effects.

Instrument panel in Black Panel technology.

Like so many aspects of the 5 Series Gran Turismo, its instrument cluster combines BMW tradition with advanced, beautiful new executions. Here the entire cluster is in a high-resolution Black Panel display, in which four classic circular instruments are most prominent; other driving-relevant displays and readouts – including Navigation if present, vehicle-monitoring functions, upcoming service requirements and other information – also appear here in their various (and function-related) graphic forms. Climate-control settings and controls are located in a second Black Panel display in the center console stack.

So it is that the advantages of mechanical and electronic displays are ideally combined with eye-catching visual and graphic effects. As the user enters the vehicle, the circular instruments’ “chrome rings,” until now open at the bottom, close and become brighter. Once the ignition is activated (by pressing the Start/Stop button), the numerals plus all other displays and warnings illuminate. As the engine starts, functions that have been previously activated by the driver are then revealed as well.

The new BMW 5 Series Gran Turismo will arrive in BMW Centers this December. Pricing will be announced closer to the on-sale date.

The Honda Element lineup expands for the 2010 model year with an all-new “Dog Friendly™” pet accommodation system designed to improve safety, comfort and convenience for dogs and their owners alike, American Honda Motor Co., Inc., announced today. The 2010 Honda Element arrives at dealerships nationwide by mid-October. The Dog Friendly Element is set to become available on November 16.

“The Honda Element has long been recognized as an accommodating vehicle for people with active lifestyles involving sports and hobbies,” said Vicki Poponi, assistant vice president of Product Planning for American Honda. “The new Dog Friendly Element takes that concept to a whole new level with specially designed features for dogs and their owners.”

Engineered to integrate with factory precision into the Element EX, the Dog Friendly equipment is intended to accommodate the secure transportation of a dog in the cargo area within a nylon-webbed car kennel. In daily operation the car kennel helps prevent a dog from interfering with the driver in traffic by keeping the pet properly restrained and out of reach of the driver. In the event of a frontal collision, the kennel is intended to help restrain the dog behind the rear seats, reducing the chance for the pet to be injured - or to injure human occupants during a crash.

The Dog Friendly equipment enhances pet comfort by providing a soft floor surface for the dog’s legs and paws along with a dedicated fan and a spill resistant water source. Convenience is improved for owners with an integrated ramp, easy to clean surfaces and a full suite of matching Dog Friendly accoutrements.

Major components include:

• a soft-sided cargo area car kennel made from seat belt-grade netting;
• a cushioned pet bed in the cargo area with an elevated platform;
• a 12V DC rear ventilation fan;
• second-row seat covers with a dog pattern design (matches the bed fabric);
• an extendable ramp (stores under the pet bed platform);
• all-season rubber floor mats with a toy bone pattern;
• a spill-resistant water bowl; and
• Dog Friendly exterior emblems (driver’s side and rear).

The ramp stores underneath the bed platform and can be conveniently accessed when the rear tailgate is down. The car kennel was designed and is being constructed by Takata Corporation, one of the world’s leading automotive safety systems suppliers. The Dog Friendly equipment group has a manufacturer’s suggested retail price of $995.

Already designed to be people friendly, the Honda Element received numerous upgrades for the 2009 model year that included a new exterior appearance and a refreshed interior design. Three unique Element models are available that range from the rugged and simple Element LX, to the more refined Element EX, to the sporty Element SC. The Dog Friendly equipment group is designed exclusively for the Element EX trim level.

The Element offers an easy-to-clean urethane floor (carpeted on SC) and an expansive, flat cargo area (up to 74.6 cu-ft. with rear seats removed), wide-opening side cargo doors, low lift-in height, and accommodating dimensions for tall items. The interior provides seating for four people along with a cargo area that quickly adapts to large items with its flip-up rear seats that fold flat, fold up and to the side, or can be removed altogether (64-plus seating arrangements).

The Element LX and EX have a water resistant urethane-coated utility floor that quickly wipes down and seat fabric that resists moisture. Standard equipment includes air conditioning, cruise control, power windows and keyless entry.

All Element models feature a 2.4-liter i-VTEC® 4-cylinder engine with a 5-speed automatic transmission. Real Time 4WD™, available on the Element LX and EX, enhances all-weather traction. EPA city/highway fuel economy ratings¹ range from 20/25 mile per gallon for two-wheel-drive models and 19/24 miles per gallon for Real Time 4WD models.

The Element LX comes standard with a 4-speaker AM/FM audio system with a CD player. The Element EX and SC feature a 270-watt high-output audio system, an AM/FM tuner, CD player with MP3/WMA™² capability, auxiliary audio input for MP3 players or other audio devices, steering wheel-mounted audio controls, seven speakers including a 6.5-inch subwoofer. XM® Radio³ is standard on the Element EX and SC.

The Honda Satellite-Linked Navigation System is an available feature on the Element EX and includes a rear backup camera and a USB audio interface⁴. The navigation system features a 6.5-inch motorized display that opens and closes for access to an internal single-disc CD player and a digital audio card reader.

Numerous storage bins and beverage holders provide places for cell phones, CDs and drinks. Available storage areas include: a large three-bin tray above the glove box (ideal for mobile phones and portable music players); a modular 3-compartment overhead storage bin (EX, SC); seat back storage (EX, SC); six hooks for strapping down bikes or other bulky gear; and door storage pockets on all four doors. The Element EX exclusively has a convertible center console with a removable cooler/storage box.

The Element SC provides a unique appearance with street custom-inspired styling, a lowered stance and exclusive premium features. Its exterior styling exhibits a performance-oriented attitude with a monochromatic color scheme and exclusive features that include custom front and rear painted bumpers, large alloy wheels, custom grille, and a lowered stance. The lowered stance is achieved by lowering the ride height and by using uniquely shaped painted side sills and slimmer roof moldings.

Element SC interior appointments include passenger-area carpeting, a fixed center console with storage, piano black trim pieces and unique fabrics and patterns. The exclusive center console integrates the auxiliary audio input jack and two beverage holders. Meter styling color on all Element SC models is copper-hue, replacing the blue backlit illumination on the other models.

The Element’s fully independent suspension uses a front MacPherson strut design and a rear compact double wishbone design for responsive handling and a comfortable ride. A 101.4-inch wheelbase contributes to a compact exterior size. An ultra-tight turning diameter of 34.9-feet (36.9-feet, Element SC) provides for excellent maneuverability in tight quarters. Element LX and EX models are equipped with 16-inch wheels (steel on LX, alloy on EX) with all-season P215/70R16 tires. Additional LX and EX standard features include power rack-and-pinion steering and front and rear stabilizer bars (30.0×4.5 mm tubular front / 21.0 mm solid rear).

The Element SC adds 18-inch alloy wheels, P225/55R18 tires, exclusive spring and damper tuning (30 percent firmer), a lowered ride height (approximately 0.7 inches) and increased rear stabilizer bar size (25.0 mm, solid). Compared to Element LX and EX, the solid front stabilizer bar is 25 percent stiffer and the rear stabilizer bar is 30 percent stiffer. The steering gear box also provides a 6 percent faster ratio (2.94:1 compared to 3.26:1).

All Element models have an aluminum Dual Overhead Cam (DOHC) engine that produces 166-horsepower at 5800 rpm and 161 lb-ft. of torque at 4000 rpm. The Element’s i-VTEC variable valve timing system enhances low rpm torque while also delivering high rpm horsepower. The five-speed automatic transmission features Grade Logic Control to minimize “gear hunting” on hilly roads.

Available on Element LX and EX, the Real Time 4WD system aids traction in snow, rain and sand by sending power to the rear wheels when the front drive wheels experience a traction loss.

Standard safety equipment includes: Vehicle Stability Assist™ (VSA®), commonly referred to as electronic stability control; a pedestrian safety design in the front of the vehicle; dual-stage, multiple-threshold front airbags; side-curtain airbags with a rollover sensor; front side airbags with a passenger-side Occupant Position Detection System (OPDS); active front seat head restraints; an anti-lock braking system (ABS) with Electronic Brake Distribution (EBD) and Brake Assist; and a Tire Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS) and active front seat head restraints.

The Element is assembled in Ohio at the Honda of America Mfg., Inc., East Liberty Auto Plant using domestic and globally sourced parts.

¹Based on 2010 EPA mileage estimates, reflecting new EPA fuel economy methods beginning with 2008 models. Use for comparison purposes only. Do not compare to models before 2008. Your actual mileage will vary depending on how you drive and maintain your vehicle.
²Windows Media® Audio is a registered trademark of Microsoft Corporation.
³Required XM Radio subscription sold separately after 90-day trial period. Subscriptions are governed by the XM Customer Agreement available at xmradio.com/serviceterms. Other fees and taxes apply after trial period; see XM Customer Agreement for details. Fees and programming subject to change. Service not available in Canada, Alaska, or Hawaii. © 2009 SIRIUS XM Radio Inc. SIRIUS, XM and all related marks and logos are trademarks of SIRIUS XM Radio Inc. and its subsidiaries.
⁴The USB Audio Interface is used for direct connection to and control of some current digital audio players and other USB devices that contain MP3, WMA or AAC music files. Some USB devices with security software and digital rights-protected files may not work. Please see your dealer for details on compatibility.

The best car never built?

The Felixicator 65X, of course.

Students of motoring history might guess that this is a car that not only hasn’t been built, but wasn’t even imagined until I started answering this question.

Like any truly great car, it needs a long and fascinating history, so the Felixicator story starts in 1909 with Henry Ford’s younger and more creative half-brother, Felix.

Stranded in Japan after several years in Germany and France, Felix Ford turned his mind to building a car that would be sold in any colour except black.

We don’t have space to fill in the next 100 years beyond pointing out that, although overshadowed by Henry’s larger concern, the company started by Felix has always been far more adventurous.

You can customise most aspects of the new Felixicator 65X on your computer. The finished car will be shipped to your door by AutoAmazon in a cardboard box protected by those little foam pellets that will outlast the sun.

You can hit the Check Out button on a day the Australian dollar is strong, and you never have to see a salesman hand balloons to your kids.

Even in its standard form the Felixicator will sprint from rest to 100 kilometres in 5 seconds flat while using 1 litre per 100 km. And that’s a litre of any liquid at all, except bottled water, which is plainly irresponsible and bad for the environment.

Felixicator always includes lots of clever interior features.

The large red button on the dash enables you to automatically zap the ignition of the idiot on the phone in the next lane, because he’s unsafe. Or the poseur in the dayglo Nissan with counter-rotating hubcaps. Because, well, you can.

The 65X accommodates the number of people you want to convey, and not a single extra: ‘I’d love to take you along, my dearest drunken old uncle, but as you can see my car has only one seat’.

If you do opt for passengers and one of them is saying something boring or irritating, the volume of the sound system increases automatically.

The 65X changes colour and even shape to meet your needs. It dresses up when you are going on a date or to a business meeting, and dresses down when you are negotiating a sharper price on the rent, or mixing with your anarchist/conceptual artist friends.

The special paint never gets dirty, except with the 4WD model, which is always filthy so you don’t look like the sort of idiot that only drives it around town.

The bumpers are – and this is a radical idea – stronger than anything you might hit.

The Felixicator has a conscience too. By which I mean it isn’t just frugal and clean running. It asks itself the big questions. Should I be emitting less? Should more of me be recyclable? Do I even need to be making this trip? Have I clearly and independently thought through my attitudes to Iran’s nuclear program?

Sure, it means the 65X has many long dark nights of the soul while alone in the garage. But hell, it’s better to have a machine do that for you too.

Fortunately, like most ESP systems, this conscience can be turned off. After all, there’ll be times when it is plainly necessary to speed up to block some taxi, which you just know will otherwise immediately slam the anchors for a fare or try to execute a U-turn across four busy lanes. No person or machine should ever feel guilty about that.

Thanks to Felix’s international outlook, the car that bears his name (and that of his business partner Nobu Icator) is styled in Italy, engineered in Germany, built in Japan, costed in China, has Australian air in the tyres, and is never touched by anyone from Detroit.

If you hear of a car half as good that really has been built, buy one today.

Tony Davis

Keep an eye on Daniel Ricciardo.

Right now the 20-year-old from Perth is on the fast track to Formula One and could easily become the next Aussie to win a race — or better — in the grand prix world. Ricciardo has been picked up by Red Bull, the same brand that backs Mark Webber, and this year won his way to the top of the cut-throat British Formula Three championship used by many drivers to springboard into F1.

He gets his first Formula One test in Spain with Red Bull in a fortnight and is pumped about the chance to prove he has the right stuff for the top level of motorsport. “I’m ecstatic. Ecstatic is one word to describe it,” Ricciardo says, speaking from his race base in Britain. “Once I got the news I had to ask them to tell me a few times. It took a while to understand. “It’s been a dream of mine since I was three or four years old. To get a chance to rag one of these things will be a very pleasant day.”

Ricciardo has also won his way up a step from Formula 3 and is confirmed for the World Series by Renault in 2010. And he was quickest in the final World Series test before the winter shutdown in Europe. “It was exactly the way I wanted to do it. It makes the Christmas break a bit more relaxed for me,” he says. “They are a great car to drive. It’s always good having a bit more power and a step up from F3. You have to muscle them around and be a bit more aggressive. At Barcelona, down the straight we were creeping up to 265 or 270 kays.”

Ricciardo was the star from the start in this year’s British F3 series with the Carlin team and says he always had his eye on the championship. “We started off really strong but at the same time Carlin were really strong last year. Everyone was trying to catch up,” he says. “By the third round the others had done their homework. In the mid season we weren’t always the quickest, and I made a few mistatkes, so we tried to grab the points. “Then had a win at Spa, which was good. The rest of the season was trying to win if we could but trying to stay on track for the title.”

Ricciardo is now honing his fitness for the World Series, and there is one race that stands out in his planning. “It’s the support race at Monaco. That’s the one that gives me goosebumps. Just to race there is amazing, but that is one I really want to win.”

But he has his F1 test before starting the World Series and knows what he needs to do. “I think the team want to have a look at me. It’s probably a bit of a reward as well after the season,” Ricciardo says. “I like to think if it goes well I could be a potential test driver.

Not that there’s a lot of testing these days. But it could mean going to a few races. “I’ve got three days. It’s from the first to the third of December. Hopefully it will go well. “I’ve had the seat fitting. It has been a bit of a process all through the week. Making the seat and doing some work on the simulator. “The simulator is like a very good Playstation. From the data they had and showed me, I was pretty much on it by their standards.”

He is planning a break after the test, before focussing on 2010. “Hopefully I’ll get a month. I need to switch off over the summer and take a break.”

But there is no break on the road to Formula One. “For sure I can’t really turn away from it now. I’m a pretty stable kid. I’m pretty relaxed. I guess I keep my feet on the ground,” he says. “For sure I’ve got some good opportunities, with my first official test. Maybe it’s not too far away, but until I’m there in F1 I’ll keep working. “To be honest I’m not in any rapid rush. I would hate to arrive in F1 and not be prepared. I want to be ready, and not take it for granted.”

So what about the timing, and perhaps even the chance to replace Mark Webber at Red Bull once the older Aussie retires? I haven’t really thought about that. It is a possibility,” he admits. “After next year, if it’s a good year with the World Series, for 2011 I think I’ll be prepared.”

If a movie was made of your life, it would flicker frames over family, friends, a house and a car.

Because, in Australia, there is always a car.  For baby boomers and on through the alphabetical generations, the car was the centrepiece of our formative years by providing freedom from the family and the ability to selfishly form new human and mechanical relationships.

You could argue without conclusion about what cars stamped their mark on Australians during and subsequent to World War II. In 1939, for example, there were 43 makes on sale in Australia ranging from Alvis to Wolseley.  But some were more pronounced than others.

Carsguide’s team of motoring experts from around Australia has compiled its ultimate list of the most important cars to drive on local roads in the 70 years since The Sunday Telegraph was first printed in November 1939.

Right at the top of the list of the cars that have grabbed Australia’s public interest most is the VW Beetle, closely followed by the Mini —  two of the most popular little cars ever to grace our streets.  Britain’s baby four-seater Mini, with front-wheel drive, became a cult that spread from 1959 Britain through to the global market by the 1970s and regenerated more recently as a bigger, yet unmistakedly familiar, version of the past.

The Beetle preceded the Mini by a few years, but the effect on a US-driven, big-car Australian customer base leapt from curious to smitten.  Despite the Beetles’ peculiar shape and compact dimensions, people took to it further when it competed in, and occasionally won, arduous outback rallies with the accent on fuel economy, low running costs and durability.

Like the Mini, the Beetle was briefly assembled in Australia, which created a home-grown affinity to the brand.  And it starred in its own movies as the popular Love Bug. More than 270,000 Beetles were sold in Australia.

Appeal based on economical motoring reached its antithesis when Australia launched another of its favourites, the awesome Ford Falcon GT-HO Phase III of 1971.At the time this was the world’s fastest four-door sedan. It was pictured on black and white televisions thundering down the Mountain at Bathurst, stood mystically at centre stage in Ford showrooms, and when one cruised the city streets, people just stared.

Never mind that the $4300 hoon express wasn’t a great sales success. It held up Australia as an engineering centre the rest of the world shouldn’t mess with. If that wasn’t patriotic enough, the exhaust noise was sufficient to send shivers up the spine.  And Australia had other slivers of greatness.

The Ford utility was a world first at combining sedan comfort with truck-like versatility. It just suited Australia and was successful through the war and into its generational upgrades and model changes to this day. 

While the ute was unique, the Holden 48/215 and more production-oriented FJ that followed was more a clone of a small Detroit sedan. But it was touted as Australia’s own car and the name (slogan??) stuck through impressive market sales.  The strength of the sales bedded General Motors’ Holden into Australia soil and spawned a line of winners, most notably the enduring Commodore that was originally nicked from Germany’s Opel but soon became indelibly indigenous after its launch in 1978.

And then came the Japanese. Post-war Australia took the Japanese car as a bitter pill that once was targeted by the RSL as being a very unwelcome addition to its meetings’ car parks.  But a Toyota Corolla is either owned — or has been owned — by virtually every Australian family. It was the first family car and the first car for youths and the preferred second-hand transport for the budget-conscious.

The wave that washed away the war and made Toyota — and other Japanese makers — a household name also participated in our early history.  Toyota LandCruisers were the mules for the Snowy Mountain hydro-electric scheme, and the durability of the model to this day ensures that we are comfortable with the generic term of 4WD as a LandCruiser.

It’s hard to say where we would be, and what Australia would have become, without the vehicle.

The most significant cars of the past 70 years

1 VW Beetle
2 Mini
3 Toyota Corolla
4 Holden FJ/48-215
5 Holden Commodore
6 Ford Ute
7 Falcon GT-HO
8 Toyota Prius
9 Toyota LandCruiser
10 Valiant Charger
11 Holden Kingswood
12 VW Kombi
13 Holden panel van
14 Mazda MX-5
15 VW Golf
16 Citroen DS
17 Porsche 911
18 Morris Minor
19 Hyundai Excel
20 MGB
21 Austin A30
22 Subaru Leone
23 Volvo 240
24 Leyland P76
25 Ford Customline

Revealed in 1980, the 208 GTB (and is spider version 208 GTS) features the smallest V8 engine used by Ferrari by that time. The 208 GTB replaced the 308 GTB and stayed into production until 1982, with 160 examples produced, in both right and left drive versions.

The car was designed by Pininfarina and featured a pronounced wedge profile, with a rectangular egg-crate aluminum radiator grille below a slim full width satin black front bumper. A square section indent line ran along each body side between the front and rear bumpers, which was finished in satin black whatever the main body color.

The doors featured scalloped intakes to the engine bay, the right one feeding the carburettor filter box, and the left one the oil cooler. At the rear there were twin circular light assemblies on the vertical recessed tail panel. A single piece lid hinged at the roof covered the engine bay and rear sited boot, whilst the vertical concave rear screen was bounded by buttressed sail panels. Options available were wider 7.5” rims, air conditioning, a radio, a deeper front spoiler, plus Michelin TRX or Pirelli P Zero tyres on special rims.