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Audi S3

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The Audi S3 was ahead of its time. While all-wheel drive and turbocharged four-cylinders are common in modern hot hatches, this pocket-rocket arrived in 1999, when they were comparatively rare. Did someone say ‘future classic’?  In contrast, there is some old-school hardware mixed with the then new. You have a six-speed manual gearbox, for example, with an intuitive shift action. There’s also some classic turbo lag to contend with, although many will likely enjoy the thrill of the surge.  Once on boost, you’ll be deploying 207bhp from its 1.8-litre engine – if your Audi S3 is a pre-2001 example. After that year and until production ceased in 2003, the model came with 222bhp. The all-wheel drive system the power is sent through, while called quattro, is actually the Haldex set-up often found in Volkswagen Group cars. This means it is primarily front-wheel drive and sends power to the rear only when needed. And it puts that power down well – provided the car is on decent tyre
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 BMW M2

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The BMW M2 is a time machine. It’s a sports car that harks back to M-cars of old, when they were smaller, lighter and less expensive than today’s counterparts. Perhaps it became a hit precisely because of this.  Its predecessor, the limited-run 1M, had certainly confirmed buyer interest in the concept. The M2 simply picked up where that car had left off – albeit on a larger scale. While BMW only built 450 1Ms for the UK, it upped that figure to 2000 for the original M2. We say ‘original’ due to the later arrival of the Competition and CS, but we’ll save those for later on.  For 2016 to 2018, the M2 received a turbocharged 3.0-litre in-line six with 365bhp. It’s essentially an uprated version of the lesser BMW M135i’s unit; and it allows for 0-62mph in 4.2sec with the dual-clutch automatic gearbox, or 4.4sec for the six-speed manual version.  Peak torque of 369lb ft is available from just 1400rpm, so it pulls like a train everywhere and, if provoked, is happy to unstick its
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New Nissan Formula E

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Nissan has revealed its new car for the upcoming Formula E race season – and technology from the racer could be used on future production models.  Called Nissan e-4orce 04, the car has 40% more power than last year’s challenger and a top speed of over 200mph. Its new red and white livery features a cherry blossom design, in tribute to Japan’s national flower.  The firm says the livery celebrates its Japanese heritage and that its dedication to Formula E highlights its commitment to an electrified future.  Nissan Motorsport managing director Tommaso Volpe told Autocar the e-4orce 04 employs several technologies that could feature on future production cars in an adapted form.  The e-4orce badge currently represents the car maker’s electrified four-wheel-drive model range, consisting of the Nissan Ariya and Nissan X-Trail. Nissan says data gathered from the race car will “directly contribute" to the development of its electrified tech and powertrains. 
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New Vauxhall Astra Electric design

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If you don’t like to shout about the fact you drive an EV, the Astra Electric could be the right car for you because it looks exactly the same as its internal combustion-engined stablemate. This means you get the same ‘visor’ front facia with a blanked-off grille flanked by slim LED headlights. The sides also remain unchanged, and you get 18-inch diamond-cut alloy wheels as standard. The only giveaway at the rear is a small ‘e’ badge. Beyond this, it’s once again Astra business as usual with thin LED rear lights and a neat roof spoiler. The new Astra Electric is also available as a Sports Tourer estate model, making it one of the only electric estates on the market if you ignore the MG 5. Once again, this looks exactly the same as the petrol-powered model.
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2023 Lamborghini Huracan Sterrato

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We first told you about Lamborghini's plans to create a rally-raid-inspired version of the Huracán supercar back in 2019. Four years later, you're looking at the production version. A limited run of 900 of the Huracán Sterrato will be produced for all markets, with deliveries starting next year. It will also be the last variant of the Huracán model line, and the last Lamborghini to be powered by the Italian company's hugely charismatic naturally aspirated V-10 engine. While the finished version looks very close to the original concept, much has been tweaked and tucked in the move to production. The biggest change is the arrival of a high-level central air intake for the engine at the back of the roof, coming as a result of feedback from the engineering team while the prototype was being tested in desert conditions. "It was eating too much dust," Mitja Borkert, Lamborghini's design director, admitted when C/D spoke to him about the car, "or rat
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2023 New Honda Civic Type R

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The new Honda Civic Type R is now on sale, with prices starting from £46,995. The latest generation of Honda's iconic hot hatch retains front-wheel-drive and a manual gearbox. The same engine from the outgoing Type R has also been carried over, tuned to 325bhp and 420Nm of torque.  The new ‘FL5’ Civic Type R’s unveiling this year neatly coincides with both the 25th anniversary of the Civic Type R and the Civic’s 50th birthday this year. Orders are available to place now with first deliveries expected from January 2023.  In order to extract the extra 9bhp from the engine, there’s a new turbocharger with a compact housing and a revised turbine blade, offering better airflow and thus more power. The 2.0-litre turbocharged inline-four cylinder engine is an evolution of the unit found in the old FK8 model.
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2022 Tesla Model 3

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Most auto manufacturers put their cars through through multi-year cycles, complete with small year-to-year updates. Tesla does it differently; the EV maker prefers to rely on over-the-air (OTA) updates and simply change mechanical parts as they are developed. Because of this unusual method, the nearly six-year-old Model 3 has never received a facelift. But now, according to a report from Reuters, a refreshed Model 3 code-named "Highland" is on the way and is expected to be put into production in the third quarter of next year. The revamped Tesla is part of an attempt by the company to simplify its design and drive production costs down. According to the Reuters report, one focus of the new Model 3 design is to reduce complexity in the interior while maintaining features that Tesla customers care about, such as the center display. Never mind the fact that the interior of the Model 3 looks as barren as that first apartment out of college: it's got a place to sit
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