E30: the 'E' stands for 'Electric'

If you were told that someone had built an E30 BMW 3-series with 900bhp that was capable of 0-60mph in 3.3s and a top speed of 174mph, you'd be pretty impressed, right?

How about if it was electric?

This particular car, owned by Croatian Mate Rimac, has been a race car for some time. But when the engine blew, Mate was keen to replace the powerplant with something a little different. Hitting on the idea of volts, his company - VST Conversions - has taken the project from a little bit of fun to full-on commercial development; the BMW has a bespoke VST motor with a 110-mile range and ballistic power, but this project is really just a test mule for the 'Concept One' - an electric supercar they hope to have in full production by 2012. How does 1088bhp via electric motors in each wheel (adjusting relative power 1000 times a second) grab you? Keep an eye on Croatia.

Rat-look Ferrari Mondial

...well, not really. Courtesy of our friends at Crank & Piston, we have here a Mondial 8 that's looking rather sorry for itself. Sure, it was never the most popular, memorable or exciting Ferrari to sonorously blast out of Maranello, but it doesn't deserve this.

There were only 703 Ferrari Mondial 8s ever built, hand-crafted by Carrozzeria Scaglietti. Makes me a little sad. Still, can't save 'em all...

Group B RX-7

The Mazda RX-7 isn't the first car that springs to mind when you think of Group B rallying; it may lack the flamboyant styling and muscular upsizing of the Metro 6R4 or Delta S4 but, as this video demonstrates, it was a plucky little scamp. Lightweight + rear-wheel drive + rev-happy Wankel = endless smokey slides. Marvellous.



Looks like a bit of a handful, doesn't it?

Ferrari 612 Scaglietti

The 612 Scaglietti is the result of an avant-garde design that continues the great Ferrari 2+2 tradition in fabulous style. Penned by Pininfarina, the 612 Scaglietti is named in honour of Sergio Scaglietti, the legendary Modenese stylist and coachbuilder responsible for bodying some of the most beautiful Ferraris of the 1950s and 60s.
The 612 Scaglietti epitomises Ferrari's talent for innovation and design. This thrillingly nimble, beautifully balanced sporty front-engined rear-wheel drive berlinetta offers a cabin capable of accommodating four occupants in unprecedented comfort, thanks to a host of accessories and a fantastic specification.
The 612 Scaglietti isn't just another 2+2 but a sumptuous, roomy two-door four-seater that's a pleasure to be aboard regardless of driving conditions.

Ferrari 612 Scaglietti

Dimensions and Weight
Overall length 193.0 in
Overall width 77.0 in
Height 52.9 in
Wheelbase 116.1 in
Front track 66.5 in
Rear track 64.6 in
Dry weight 3880 lb*
Kerb weight 4134 lb*
Fuel tank capacity 24 UK gal (29 US gal)
Brakes
Front 15 x 1.34 in
Rear 14.2 x 1.26 in
Engine
Type 65° V12
Bore/stroke 3.50 x 3.03 in
Unit displacement 29.2 cu in
Total displacement 350.8 cu in
Compression ratio 11.2:1
Maximum power 397 kW (540 CV) at 7250 rpm
Maximum torque 588 Nm (434 lbft) at 5250 rpm
Gearbox
Gearbox F1A 6-gears+Reverse

Ferrari 612 Scaglietti interior

Tyres
Front 245/40 ZR 19”
Rear 285/40 ZR 19”
Performance
Maximum speed 199 mph
0-100 km/h (0-62 mph) 4 s
Fuel Consumption
Combined 20.5 l/100 km
CO2 Emissions
Combined 470 g/km

Monte Carlo Historique 2011

The Monte Carlo Historique Rally, running from January 26th-February 2nd, sees entrants departing from a variety of cities - Barcelona, Marrakech, Warsaw, Reims & Glasgow - and all finishing at Monte Carlo. You can see the official website here.
Click here for a huge photo gallery from the Barcelona departure. (You'll notice that a lot of the cars in these photos are bearing Marrakech labels - this is because they left on the 26th, passing through Barcelona for their launch on the 28th.)

BMW M2

BMW's M division was established in 1972, which is the same year that this jaffa-hued 2002 was built. Of course, in the early days, BMW Motorsport GmbH was a racing concern rather than tuning road cars - they didn't turn their hands to that until 1978's M1 (or, if we're talking mainstream, 1979's M535i). But if they had built an M-Tech 2002, this is pretty much what it would have looked like.

Power comes from a four-cylinder Schnitzer S14 engine with a gloriously shiny carbon-fibre Gruppe M airbox; furthermore, it's the 2.5-litre Sport Evo version, used to homologate the M3 as a racer. So it's a bit special. Everything else you'd expect has been beefed up to suit, creating a beautifully executed 1972 BMW M2. Click here to learn more.

Noble M600

Noble have come a long way from being associated with capable but slightly rattly kit car lookalikes with Mondeo lights and, er, Mondeo engines. The freshly announced M600 is a genuine contender in the sports car marketplace, featuring a full carbon-fibre body and a mid-mounted 4.4-litre V8. Build quality has improved exponentially, rivalling anything you'd find in Germany or Italy... but the M600 is British through-and-through. This no longer means loose trim, iffy wiring and Morris Marina door handles. Today, it means 650bhp in a lightweight chassis, with a total kerbweight comfortably under 1200kg. Performance is, of course, epic: 0-60mph in sub-3 seconds, and a ludicrous top speed of 225mph.
But Noble haven't neglected the driver's immediate surroundings; to sell a modern sports GT you need a quality interior as well as ballistic thrust, which the M600 has in spades - Wilton carpets, bespoke switchgear (nothing from the Ford parts bin here), leather & Alcantara seats and a Becker stereo.

Official prices are yet to be announced, but the figure on the grapevine is around £200,000. That's a lot of wedge, but you get a lot of car for it. And you'll have so much fun embarrassing much pricier Veyrons in a car that most people won't be able to name...
Click here for the M600 brochure.