The meanest ever parking...
The meanest ever parking meter is on its way. The clock starts as soon as you drive up, it knows when you have overstayed and photographs your number plate to send a ticket to your home. "It will increase revenue for cities by up to five times," said inventor Fred Mitschele of Vancouver, Canada, who"s opening a London office.
History is repeating...
History is repeating itself at Lotus. To celebrate 40 years of production at its Norfolk factory, the sportscar manufacturer has resurrected the classic Sprint name.
Now featuring on a special edition Exige, it recalls the classic Elan Sprint of the early Seventies. Like that car the exterior has a distinctive two-tone yellow and white paint finish. Separating the colours is a gold stripe running the length of body.
Inside, the cabin gets unique trim and embroidered seat material. There will also be a heritage pack containing a certificate signed by Lotus" Cheif Executive Mike Kimberley, together with a book covering the company"s history.
Under the skin, the Exige is packed with extra kit. On top of the standard specification, buyers get the luxurious Touring Pack and desirable Performance Pack. The latter adds 20bhp to the standard supercharged 1.8-litre taking it to 238bhp. Acceleration is blistering with the sprint from 0 to 60 mph taking 4.0 seconds.
However, you"ll need to be equally as quick if you want to get behind the wheel. Just 40 of these commemorative models will be produced, each one priced at ÷£42,550 - a ÷£2,500 saving over a similarly specified standard Exige.