When carmakers take a classic car and give it a modern spin, the results can be spectacular. Take the modern MINI for instance, or the Fiat 500 - superb reboots that don't trash the memory of the originals. In fact, we reckon there's a treasure trove of iconic autos due an update. Here's our ideas...

Car: Jaguar E-Type
Icon status: 10/10
Chances of reinvention: 7/10

Jaguar's E-Type celebrates its 50th anniversary in 2011 so it's ripe for reinvention. Back in 1961 it stunned the world with...

A driver has escaped death after crashing a Chevrolet Corvette at 230mph.

The driver, who has not been named, was taken to hospital after the terrifying smash, but was released later that afternoon (Friday).

US tuning company Hinson Motorsports, was attempting to break the standing mile speed record for a road-going Corvette, which it managed with a top speed of 224.3mph.

This amazing video - shot at the Texas Mile strip - shows the Corvette rolling once before landing back on its wh...

Portsmouth City Council will ask the Department for Transport (DfT) for permission to have its traffic lights set permanently to amber at night.

The scheme will see all traffic lights flashing amber at the quietest times of the night, and is designed to prevent drivers from waiting at red lights unnecessarily.

Motorists will be expected to approach the lights with caution, but can choose whether to stop or go, as with a regular junction.

Eliminating waiting at red lights in the early ...

Car supermarket Motorpoint claims it is in possession of the very last brand new Daihatsu for sale in the UK.

The Sirion 1.3 SE Sport, up for £6,999, could be the last new Daihatsu that anyone in the UK will buy.

Daihatsu announced that it would stop selling cars in Europe in January 2013. The firm claimed that the strength of its home currency, Japanese Yen, has made it uneconomical to sell cars here.

Despite this timeframe, Daihatsu has already stopped exporting stock to the UK, whic...

The Government's announcement that it will double the pothole repair fund has been described as 'spin', because the overall road maintenance budget has been slashed.

Initially, £100 million had been reserved for pothole repair after the harsh winter weather, but during the budget it was announced that £200 million had been set aside.

However, the overall road maintenance budget will be progressively cut over the next few years. In 2010-2011 it was £871 million, but it will drop to...

A joint announcement from Vauxhall and Renault yesterday (March 24) confirmed that production of the next generation Vivaro van will take place at Vauxhall's Luton factory. This is believed to give more than 1,000 workers job security for the foreseeable future.

The co-operation between Renault and Vauxhall goes back to 1996 when the companies joined forces to produce the Renault Master and Vauxhall Movano commercial vehicles. The companies then introduced the smaller Renault Trafic/V...

If the current disruption to production of car components in Japan continues, it is predicted that manufacturing of cars around the world could be slashed by as much as 35 percent. That equates to about five million vehicles - and factories would not have the capacity to catch up later on.

This prediction was made by analysts at IHS Automotive, a company renowned for its global outlook in the motor industry.

The forecast is based on the assumption that the problems with supply from Japa...

Company cars are great. But imagine if you could only choose between three models, all from the same company, and each one guaranteed to be slower than your work vehicle?

That's the “depressing” reality for F1 driver Fernando Alonso. The poor lamb can only pick a Ferrari 458 Italia, a Ferrari California or a Ferrari 599 GTB as his company car. It's the same throughout the grid, so no wonder most Formula One drivers supplement their company vehicle with a garage full of flash motor...

Despite an asking price of about a quarter of a million pounds, Lamborghini's stunning new Aventador LP 700-4 supercar is sold out for at least a year.

That's the word from the company's factory in Italy, where the carbon fibre car is put together. While most of us saw the Aventador for the first time at the Geneva Motor Show earlier this month (March 1), a small number of VIP customers were lucky enough to sample it late last year. They are likely to form the bulk of the orders alrea...

Kia personnel have let slip some of the company's plans for the near future. The overall theme is a sporting one, with the line-up to include a sports car, a hot hatch and an unusual open-topped crossover.

The headline-grabbing model will be a rear-wheel drive sports car. Little is yet know about this possible new model other than a concept version will be unveiled at the Frankfurt Motor Show this autumn. It's highly likely to take cues from previous stylish Kia concepts and it may be...

Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne delivered his second Budget yesterday (March 23, 2011) with the opening statement that the Budget is:

"...about reforming the nation's economy, so that we have enduring growth and jobs in the future.

"And it's about doing what we can to help families with the cost of living and the high oil price."

It took until the last sentence of his hour-long speech for Osborne to announce a surprise, headline-grabbing 1p a litre cut in the rate of fuel duty....

Sales figures clearly show our love for the drop top, with 63,000 sold in the UK last year (2010). Want to join that happy band? Best check out our round-up of the top new cabriolets out this summer, plus a couple of our old favourites. We've scored each out of ten for style, substance and value.

Lamborghini Gallardo LP 570-4 Spyder Performante
On sale: Spring 2011
Style: 9/10
OK, so the spoiler, stripes, air ducts and angular body kit might be too showy for some, but nobody does flamboya...

A UK luxury car dealership is selling David Beckham's first Porsche 911, calling it 'probably the most famous that he has owned'.

It's a claim that's backed up by the car's history. It was first pictured brand new in August 1997 being driven away from the dealership by Beckham, with his then girlfriend Victoria 'Posh Spice' Adams in the passenger seat.

The following year, the first picture of a pregnant Victoria was taken as she was getting into the car. It's also alleged that this wa...

An astonishing insurance quote has highlighted just how difficult it is for young drivers to get behind the wheel.

Daniel Gray, 18, was quoted £24,000 to insure a 12-year-old Volvo S40 he'd paid just £700 for.

Mr Gray had been paying £2,500 per year to insure his first car, but it was written off when he skidded on black ice.

He'd expected the 1.6-litre Volvo saloon to cost a little more to insure, but was flabbergasted when AA Insurance quoted him a price 34 times the value of the ca...

Porsche has confirmed it will produce the stunning 918 Spyder hybrid. It will become both the quickest and greenest car Porsche has ever produced.

The car will hit 62mph in 'a maximum of 3.2 seconds' and have a 200mph top speed. At the same time, the hybrid supercar will return 94mpg and emit just 70g/km of CO₂.

That makes it quicker than Porsche's last hyper car, the Carrera GT, as well as its current quickest model, the 911 Turbo S. Amazingly, its fuel economy and CO₂ figures would...

A 26-year-old woman from Southwark, South London, has failed the driving theory test 90 times, Driving Standards Agency (DSA) figures have revealed.

The astonishing failure rate is a UK record and has cost the learner £2,790. She last failed the multiple-choice test in November 2010.

The test, which costs £31 a time, consists of 50 questions, each with four possible answers. Students must answer a minimum of 43 questions correctly to pass.

The list of 1,000 possible questions is ava...

Company executives driving top end luxury cars will be hammered by a new 'supercar tax' due to be introduced next month (April 2011).

Company car drivers pay benefit in kind tax on their car based on its value (list price when new), the type of fuel it uses and CO₂ emissions.

Currently, an £80,000 value cap exists so that the maximum a company car driver can pay is around £11,000. It means that someone driving an £81,000 company car, for example, pays the same in tax as someone driv...

A package of measures to tackle drink and drug driving was announced today by Transport Secretary Philip Hammond.

Improved testing equipment to detect drink and drug drivers will be given the green light and key changes made to streamline enforcement of both offences.

The government will also examine the case for a new specific drug driving offence – alongside the existing one – which would remove the need for the police to prove impairment on a case-by-case basis where a spe...

Mercedes has revealed the C63 AMG Coupé, a two-door firecracker gunning straight for the Audi RS5 and BMW M3.

Power comes from a 6.3-litre V8 petrol engine packing 451bhp, capable of getting the car from zero to 62mph in 4.5 seconds. Top speed is limited to 155mph.

Buyers will also get the chance to boost power with an AMG performance pack, raising the V8's output to 480bhp and shaving 0.1 seconds from the 0-62mph time.

The performance pack upgrades the brakes, plus replaces some of t...

Semi-official Honda tuning division MUGEN has released these sensational sketches of a modified CR-Z. It's set to become the fastest hybrid hatchback ever.

No technical details of the MUGEN CR-Z have been released yet, but in a press release Honda calls it "the hottest hybrid yet" and claims performance will be similar to the now redundant Civic Type-R hot hatch.

That's a bold claim given that the MUGEN CR-Z will be powered by the same 1.5-litre petrol engine and electric motor combi...

Skoda will launch its own version of the Volkswagen Up! city car in 2012, which will be its best value model to date.

The VW Up! (pictured) debuted at the 2007 Frankfurt Motor Show. Various different concept versions of the Up! have been unveiled since then, but each one has featured small dimensions, low weight and excellent fuel consumption.

Volkswagen's production version of the Up! is still under wraps, but Skoda's version will be in showrooms as early as next year.

The announceme...

Buying a new car is daunting and fraught with difficulties. First there's the cost; particularly the price of insurance, rising fuel rates and road tax. On top of that there's also the inevitable repairs needed with a cheap used car.

Just as important though is style and performance; no self-respecting young driver wants to rock up to college in a rusty old diesel people carrier. Luckily we've tracked down ten motors that tick all these boxes, amazingly all at £1,000 or less.

Ford F...

Demand for the 2.0-litre diesel version of the Hyundai ix35 SUV is so high that the Korean company is offering a 'free' car to those on the waiting list.

The unique scheme - the first of its type, we believe - will see the 200 buyers that have to wait longest for their car given a less powerful 1.7-litre diesel ix35 while Hyundai catches up with demand.

Each of the 200 recipients will be offered a 1.7-litre version to buy, on the promise that they can part exchange it for their 2.0-l...

A Lamborghini owner was so incensed by the Italian supercar company that he hired a group of men, gave them each a sledgehammer and ordered them to smash up his car in public.

The stunt equates to almost half a million pounds worth of damage. In China, a Lamborghini Gallardo reportedly costs £465,000. In the UK the same car costs around £160,000.

The owner was embroiled in a war of words with Lamborghini after his Gallardo suffered a number of problems.

The final straw came after th...

Three Renault executives sacked by the company in a sensational industrial espionage case have been given an unreserved apology from chief executive Carlos Ghosn.

The three executives were fired very publicly in January, accused of selling top secret electric car technology to 'Chinese interests.'

When the accusations of spying first emerged, Renault asked the Central Directorate of Internal Intelligence - France's answer to MI5 - to investigate.

What the Government organisation found...

A motorist was furious to return to his car and find a warden issuing a parking ticket - only 30 seconds after he'd parked there.

29-year-old Andrew Oxley had found a space in Exeter Central Train Station car park, and had gone to pay for a ticket. On his return he found a warden writing out a £75 penalty fine.

The female warden, from Premier Parking Solutions (PPS), was taking a photograph of his car and warned him that failure to pay within seven days would see the fine jump to £...

Alfa Romeo could soon be using Porsche engines, if the Volkswagen Group gets its way and buys the Italian company from Fiat.

The war of words between VW and Fiat is heating up, with Volkswagen boss Ferdinand Piech making no secret of his desire to buy the iconic, but underperforming, Italian marque from Fiat.

Piech first made public his desire to buy Alfa at the 2010 Paris Motor Show, though Fiat boss Sergio Marchionne has always made it clear that Fiat has no intention of selling.

Bu...

Speeding, tailgating and getting angry with other road users are among the ten worst driving habits being passed onto learner drivers by their parents.

A list of ten bad habits observed was compiled by the AA Driving School's 1,900 instructors following the results of an AA/Populus survey of nearly 19,000 people. The latter indicated that parents of learner drivers were setting a bad example by drinking, using mobile phones and even falling asleep while supervising the learner.

The wor...

While few of us will have driven anywhere near as fast as 200mph, we're used to hearing about the latest supercar that will top that speed. So a land speed record of 206mph doesn't sound like anything to write home about. Until you hear that it was carried out on sheet ice.

The new record (206.05mph) was set by Nokian Tyres, a Finnish company that specialises in winter and studded tyres. At the wheel of an almost standard Audi RS6 saloon was the company's test driver, Janne Laitinen, ...

A 25-year-old woman has been cleared of dangerous driving after she claimed that a sneezing fit caused her to veer into oncoming traffic.

Mari Emlyn of Pwllheli, Wales, said that she hit the oncoming BMW of Dr Shekar Nagaraj due to her uncontrollable sneezing.

Dr Nagaraj suffered extensive chest, leg, back and neck injuries in the smash.

Ms Emlyn's solicitor, Carys Parry, told Dolgellau magistrates court that there was "a clear defence of automatism."

In those cases, the defendant is said...

The first McLaren MP4-12C road car hasn't even been delivered yet, but McLaren has already made a racing version of it.

Called the MP4-12C GT3, it uses the same 3.8-litre twin-turbo V8 as the road car, and the same carbon fibre chassis, but the engine gets more power and anything not needed in the cabin has been stripped away.

As you can see, it also gets an aerodynamic carbon fibre body kit, including a huge rear spoiler. It's wider than the production car and benefits from a new susp...

This amazing contraption is perhaps the most eccentric 'car' ever made. Want proof? Look no further than what propels it - a pair of household screwdrivers.

The EX three-wheeler has a top speed of 19mph and is the brainchild of fine arts student Nils Ferber.

It was built by a team from Hamburg University, where Ferber is a fine arts student, reportedly at a cot of £860.

According to Ferber, the trike was one of the least spectacular ideas he and the team had. He said that the EX is buil...

Geneva 2011 is one of the best motor shows we've ever seen. It's not only the amount of new metal on display that's impressive, but the variety and quality of what's on offer. The only problem with picking five hits from the show is deciding what to leave out.

Finding the misses is a little more difficult, but they do exist. Here's the best and worst of Geneva 2011.

Hits

5. Ford B-Max

We expected: A 'brand new concept'. That's all we knew. That's rare.

We got: A replacement for the Ford F...

Nissan's Sunderland factory could get the order from Infiniti to build its stunning new Etherea crossover.

The concept, unveiled at the Geneva Motor Show, previews Infiniti's take on the BMW 1 Series and Lexus CT 200h.

While Infiniti has confirmed it will make a version of the Etherea, due in 2015, exactly what it will look like is still up in the air.

Infiniti Europe boss Jim Wright, talking to Autocar, explained it will not be a 'me too' car, saying that “we have to be groundbreaking ...

The number of Toyota hybrid petrol-electric cars sold topped three million by the end of February, the manufacturer has confirmed.

Toyota estimates that these sales equate to a saving of 18 million tonnes of CO₂, compared to conventional petrol engined cars of similar size and performance.

The three million figure includes all Toyota and Lexus passenger cars and commercial vehicles sold worldwide, but the success is in large part thanks to the Prius: in May 2008 Prius sales officially ...

Going camping in your 1,100bhp hypercar has just become a whole lot easier, as performance car maker Koenigsegg has unveiled the world's most advanced roof box.

The Thule Lightning, designed by Swedish roof box specialist Thule, is the first ever to be made entirely of carbon fibre. It was designed specifically for the Koenigsegg Agera R - a car with more power than the Bugatti Veyron.

When in place, the box replaces the Agera's removable roof, fully integrating with the car to minim...

The Bloodhound SSC will travel faster than a speeding bullet when it attempts to break the world land speed record in 2013.

Construction of the the incredible rocket car began in February, and the crew has just announced that the first full test fire will happen in the UK in summer.

Suitable sites are currently being scouted - and they’ll have to be huge, because this will be the biggest rocket tested in the UK for two decades. It is capable of breaking the 1,000mph barrier.

The curr...

- Rear-mounted 40bhp electric motor
- 0-37mph in 5.5 seconds
- Claimed range of 84 miles on one charge

Smart has pulled the wraps off its futuristic Forspeed convertible at the Geneva Motor Show. It's a zero emissions roadster, powered by a 40bhp electric motor, mounted at the rear of the car. The Forspeed completes Smart's small electric vehicle line-up, which includes a scooter and a bicycle unveiled at last year's Paris Motor Show.

What's all the fuss about?

It may be called the Forspe...

A BP forecourt in Rainham, Kent, became the first in mainland UK to top the £1.40 per litre mark for petrol yesterday (6 March).

The shocking milestone comes as average prices across the UK top £1.30 for petrol and £1.36 for diesel; the Rainham forecourt was charging £1.44 per litre for diesel yesterday.

Pressure is growing on Chancellor George Osborne to postpone the 1p per litre fuel duty increase, planned for April, and to introduce a price stabiliser that will reduce tax on f...

DSA’s process to remind you to renew your approved driving instructor (ADI) registration is about to change.

From May 2011, DSA will still aim to send you a renewal reminder letter six months before your registration expiry date, but won’t send you another one three months later. This is so that you only receive essential communication from the agency.

Please remember, it’s your responsibility to make sure you renew in time, although DSA will always aim to send you the remin...

The best three cars of 2011 have been named as the Nissan Leaf, the BMW 5-Series and the Audi A8.

That's according to the expert judging panel of the World Car of the Year (WCotY) Awards, which has just announced the three-car shortlist.

Arguably the most prestigious car award of the year, the current WCotY holder is the Volkswagen Polo. This year's winner will be announced at the New York Motor Show, April 21.

The winner is picked by a panel of 66 automotive journalists from 24 countr...

National pothole website potholes.co.uk has begun a search for the UK's worst road.

The campaign asks anyone who's fed up with pothole-ridden roads to go to the website and vote for their most hated stretch of asphalt.

Votes are counted in two categories: major roads and minor roads. The former includes motorways, A and B roads, while the latter is for local roads.

The closing date for votes is March 28. Once they've been counted, a team comprising a motoring journalist from 'The Daily...

Malaysian car maker Proton has knocked £1,700 off the price of a brand new Satria Neo, making the cheapest version just £8,495.

The Satria Neo's suspension and chassis were developed by Lotus, the British sports car company owned by Proton.

Despite that, sales have bee lacklustre in the UK. The car is sold in the extremely competitive supermini segment against the likes of the best-selling Ford Fiesta and 2010 World Car of the Year, the Volkswagen Polo.

Proton is hoping that the price...

Directgov is the only official site where you can book or change your practical test appointment without paying an extra administration fee.

And now booking or changing your practical driving test with Directgov couldn’t be easier. There’s a couple of new films which show you how to do this, step-by-step.

To watch how to book your practical driving test on Direcgov, visit direct.gov.uk/en/Video/DG_WP194889

To watch how to change your practical driving test on Directgov, visi...

Is this the strangest car recall ever? Mazda has been forced to recall 65,000 of its saloon cars in the US, Canada and Mexico after spiders were discovered nesting in their fuel pipes.

Nobody can explain why the spiders have chosen the Mazda6 but there have been enough incidents to prompt a wide scale recall.

What's even more unusual is that the spiders have only appeared in cars with four-cylinder engines

The first incident happened in October 2009, when a Mazda6 was brought to a dealer...

This month we look at proposed changes to driver medical standards and the impact these would have on the driving test, including changes to eyesight requirements.

We also report on the theory test fraudsters who’ve been given prison sentences after admitting they arranged for an impersonator to sit their tests.

Elsewhere, find out how you can use social media to keep in touch with DSA, and read about the driverless cars that give us a glimpse of what the future of motoring co...

Jeep, the American brand synonymous with military vehicles and 4x4s, is planning a Nissan Juke rivalling small SUV. The car is likely to be Jeep's smallest ever.

The brand, owned by the Chrysler Group and Fiat, is looking to expand its model range to widen its appeal, particularly to young buyers.

The small SUV is an emerging car niche catering to those that like the chunky looks of a 4x4 but want a more city-friendly and economical package.

According to Autocar, Jeep's small SUV will...

Fresh from unveiling a classy new design concept at the Geneva Motor Show, Skoda is rebuffing reports of a rift with parent company Volkswagen over technology sharing.

It has been suggested that the Czech company has removed 'luxury' options including LED lights from certain models, having been denied access to the parts by Volkswagen.

It is said that this is because Skoda is taking sales from more expensive Volkswagen cars, offering similar quality but much better value.

However, Sk...

Police are to set up roadblocks to catch drivers who are breaking the law by smoking at the wheel of company cars.

The scheme is being carried out in Essex, where police and council wardens will conduct random inspections and check for evidence of smoking in cars designated for business use.

Officers will hunt for cigarette butts in ashtrays and even smell the air inside suspect vehicles to check for evidence of smoking.

The scheme is intended to raise awareness of the ban on smoking ...

A 34-year-old Peugeot 504 saloon worth around £1,000 has sold for £1.5m at auction. The incredible price was paid because it belonged to Iran President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

Auctioned through a website set up specifically to sell the car, ahmadinejad-car.com, the 1977 Peugeot was eventually sold to an Iranian company. Bids from Europe and the United States were also lodged.

The car was an official vehicle of the Iranian President, and used on duty, though the outrageous price still smas...

- 4.7-litre V8 engine tuned to 442bhp
- 0-62mph in 5.2 seconds
- Chassis changes give it a harder edge

Maserati has pulled the wraps off the new GranCabrio Sport - a hardcore version of the outgoing GranCabrio with more power and sharper handling. It's the convertible version of the Italian company's GranTurismo coupé and features Maserati's 4.7-litre V8 engine from the GranTurismo MC.

What's all the fuss about?

At 9bhp, the power hike isn't exactly huge, but it's enough to propel the G...

- Preview of new Swift hot hatch
- Beefy body kit and alloy wheels
- Power expected to come from 1.6-litre engine

This is the closest we've got to the next hot hatch version of the Suzuki Swift - the S-Concept. The Japanese firm has remained tight-lipped about exactly what's powering its next pocket rocket, but if the production version looks anything like this, it's sure to be a hit.

What's all the fuss about?

The previous Suzuki Swift Sport was renowned for its big thrills on a budget, ...

- Larger, seven-seat version of the Prius
- First hybrid MPV in Europe
- Ultra low emissions and top economy promised

Toyota has revealed the first seven-seat MPV with a hybrid powertrain in Europe. The Prius+ will go on sale in early 2012 with more space and practicality to boost its appeal to family buyers.

What's all the fuss about?

The Prius+ has already been seen in the metal at the Detroit Auto Show in January, but this is the first time that it has appeared in Europe.

It's hot on p...

- Previews new design direction for Toyota
- Aggressive looks to appeal to more customers
- Expected to use 1.3- or 1.5-litre engine

Toyota has revealed the new Yaris HSD concept, which previews a whole new design direction for the Japanese firm. It's much more aggressive than the outgoing Yaris and is likely to appeal to more buyers in the image conscious B-segment hatchback market.

What's all the fuss about?

The looks are a world apart from Toyota's largely bland current hatchbacks. The...

The number of traffic lights on UK roads has increased by a third in the last eight years.

The figures come from a report called 'Every Second Counts' by the RAC Foundation.

It revealed that there are now in excess of 25,000 sets of traffic lights in the UK - a 30 percent increase between 2000 and 2008.

The RAC also concluded that it could be time to consider the removal of some lights to ease congestion, and called for radical changes to the way in which traffic lights are used.

It wa...

Renault is set to debut a zero emissions, silent running electric van at the Geneva Motor Show next week (March 1), called the Kangoo Van Maxi Z.E.

It's a far cry from the chugging old diesel rust bucket most people think of when 'white van' is mentioned.

The Maxi Z.E. is a bigger version of the Kangoo Z.E. launched last year, and is available with two- or five seats. In terms of load space it sits between the Ford Transit Connect and the full size Transit - the archetypal white van. ...

The Government backed consumer watchdog for the motor trade, Motor Codes, has announced the top 50 repair centres, as voted for by thousands of motorists.

The garages make up the shortlist for the second annual Golden Garage award, the winner of which will be announced in April.

The top 50 garages are separated into regions of the UK, and drivers are now being asked to vote again to whittle down a top ten.

A winner will be picked from those by a panel of motor industry experts includi...