Aston Martin One-77

Amazing leaked images reveal all about Aston's £1.2m flagship – including first interior pictures!

Feast your eyes – Aston Martin's new One-77 has been laid bare! These amazing pictures, which have been leaked onto the internet from an official Aston document, shed more light on the £1.2m flagship supercar and give us our first glimpse at its interior. As you can see, the cabin is just as dramatic as the exterior with a host of bold curves designed to cocoon the two occupants. Sharing some design DNA with the DB9 and DBS, the limited edition One-77 gets a swooping centre console on which controls such as the starter button are placed and a three-spoke steering wheel with paddles for the six-speed transmission. Seats come in three sizes – small, medium and large – and are then tailored individually to the owner. What's more, owners can choose a luxurious 10-way adjustable seat or go for a lightweight racing style bucket. Whatever seats or bespoke leather trim they choose, owners will be able to see the One-77's carbon chassis from inside the cabin. Its structural points are integrated with the interior.Underlining the totally bespoke nature of each individual car, Aston says owners can choose whatever colour they like for the exterior while engineers will fine-tune the suspension to suit their needs. The One-77 gets new fully adjustable dampers that feature advanced Dynamic Suspension Spool Valve (DSSV) technology – a world-first for a road car. These use high-precision machined components that vary the shock-absorbing characteristics of the damper without having to remove them from the car.As for the 7.3-litre V12 engine, the only parts shared with Aston's 6.0-litre V12 are the timing chain and sprocket – apart from that it's totally new. It produces 700hp and weighs 25 per cent less than the 6.0-litre unit. With the whole car weighing in at around 1,500kg, the One-77 is predicted to have a top speed in excess of 200mph, with a 0-60mph time of 3.5 seconds. A pop-up spoiler rises from the bootlid to improve stability at high speed while vents in the front splitter close and open automatically to maximise airflow. The transmission is a new six-speed gearbox which is controlled via steering-wheel paddles. Owners can choose between full automatic and manual modes. Brakes are carbon-ceramic discs with uprated calipers.

Ultimate Golf’s ready to turn up the heat

R20T is to blast off at Geneva, and will take the fight to Ford's Focus RS. It promises incredible pace, with a tuned turbo and lightweight body.

VW will add drama to the shape of latest MkVI Golf by fitting LED headlights, deep front spoiler and wide wheelarches, filled by enormous alloys.

The ultimate Golf is here! And this time, the flagship hot hatchback has more power and an all-new badge to boot.

The replacement for the R32 is being referred to within VW as the R-Series Turbo, but it’s likely to be called the R20T, hinting at its engine capacity. And our exclusive pictures show how the most powerful Golf ever will look when it eclipses the GTI at the top of the range.

VW is ditching the R32 name, along with the 3.2-litre V6 that’s powered the previous two cars, Auto Express has learned. In its place will be a tuned version of the GTI’s four-cylinder 2.0-litre turbocharged engine.

A bigger turbo, as well as tweaks to the ECU, will ensure the car has a power output of around 270bhp – that’s more than 20bhp above the outgoing V6. What’s more, as the unit is lighter, the R20T should weigh roughly the same as the GTI.

But with all that extra power on tap, it will deliver scintillating pace, with the 0-60mph sprint arriving in about five seconds. That’s a full second-and-a-half quicker than the MkV R32, and only a few tenths shy of BMW’s V8-engined M3. Top speed will be limited to 155mph.

The same engine will power an R20T version of the Scirocco. This was previewed by the Studie R concept at Italy’s Bologna Motor Show last year.

Although a VW spokesman refused to confirm whether the Golf would be driven by the front or all four wheels, the latter is more likely – as on the heavier and thirstier R32. This will help to put all that power on to the tarmac, as well as provide high levels of grip.

The engine will channel its power through a choice of a six-speed manual gearbox or VW’s DSG dual-clutch set-up. And as the unit is smaller and lighter, the R20T will offer significant improvements in fuel economy and emit less CO2 than the car it replaces.

VW’s designers have taken the understated looks of the R32 to the next level. A deep front spoiler with integrated LED headlights – a styling cue borrowed from sister company Audi – takes inspiration from the Concept BlueSport seen at January’s Detroit exhibition, while flared wheelarches, wider tyres and lowered suspension provide further clues to its potential.

At the rear, in true R-series style, twin pipes exit close to the centre-line of the car. Plus, a ‘sound-optimised’ exhaust system should ensure the R20T delivers noise to match its looks. A roof spoiler and underbody diffuser both help to increase downforce and keep the car planted at high speeds, too.

Reports suggest that the R20T will make its public debut at the Nürburgring 24-hour race in Germany in May, before going on sale in UK showrooms early next year. Prices will start from around £25,000 for the three-door, with the five-door costing £2,000 more – pitching the VW head-to-head with the Ford Focus RS and Subaru Impreza STi.

VW BlueSport at Detroit

VW's stunning two-seater roadster has broken cover ahead of its debut in Detroit.

The Boxster has got a fight on its hands! Ahead of its debut in Detroit this week, these are the first official images of VW’s baby sports car designed to offer a cut-price alternative to Porsche’s finest - and a more upmarket option to the MX-5.

Called the Concept BlueSport, it’s the car that proves sportiness can go hand-in-hand with economy - combining the agility and pace of a mid-engined roadster, with the fuel-consumption and affordability of a more family-orientated model.

Performance fans won’t be left wanting with a 0-60mph time of 6.2 seconds and a top speed of 140mph, while running costs should be uncharacteristically low thanks to a combined fuel economy of 42mpg and supermini CO2 emissions of just 113g/km.

At the heart of the BlueSport are two efficiency-boosting technologies, an automatic stop-start function, similar to the system appearing across the BlueMotion range later this year and regenerative braking, like the KERS technology set to be employed by 2009 F1 cars.

Following in the footsteps of the Audi TT TDI, the world’s first diesel sports car, the BlueSport uses an oil-burner under the bonnet. It’s the familiar 2.0-litre turbocharged unit, producing 178bhp and 350Nm of torque mated to the six-speed version of VW’s slick-shifting DSG ‘box. And with all that torque being channelled through the rear wheels, genuine sports car thrills are guaranteed.

Tipping the scales at a slimline 1,200kg, the BlueSport has been subject to a number of weight-saving measures. Most significant is the manually operated fabric roof, doing away with the need for heavy motors and hydraulics.

Compact dimensions mean it’s shorter, lower but almost as wide as a MKVI Golf, creating a squat, muscular stance, and aiding stability in the bends. Despite short overhangs and a rear-mounted engine dictated by its all-new platform, VW insists the two storage areas, one at the front and one in the back, are roomy enough for a pair of weekend bags.

If the face seems familiar, that’s because it continues the design language first implemented on the new Scirocco, MKVI Golf and UP! concept. The sleek headlights, narrow radiator grille and prominent badge are unmistakably VW.

At the rear, the LED taillights are sculpted to mimic the headlights, giving the car a front-rear symmetry much like the Boxster. A third brake light is integrated into the boot lid, just above the badge, while the blacked-out diffuser with the twin tailpipes located at it’s outer-edges help to emphasise the car’s width.

But it’s in profile that the car really makes its presence felt. Cavernous side vents give away the car’s mid-engine layout, while exaggerated wheel-arches filled with ten-spoke 19-inch alloys, bulge out of the bodywork.

Inside the high-quality cabin an enormous touchscreen interface takes pride of place. There’s also lightweight sports seats clad in VW’s trademark ribbed leather, with integrated roll-hoops behind the headrests and heating controls that glow blue or red depending on the desired temperature.

VW hasn’t confirmed the roadster will make into production yet, but judging by the production-ready appearance, as well as the growing interest in small fuel-efficient sports cars, and it’s not a question of if, but when its available to buy. Expect both TSI and TDI versions to be offered when it makes it to showrooms in 2010, with prices starting from around £22,500.