Car News

Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) has taken part in in the UK's first road tests for autonomous and connected vehicles this week, as part of the UK Autodrive project. The company has already revealed it is developing fully- and semi-autonomous technologies for future models, and these latest tests show that JLR is one step closer to bringing the systems to market.

A rare 1958 Porsche 550A Spyder with a successful racing history will be going under the hammer early next year. Considered one of the most original examples in existence, it is one of only 40 built by the German marque. Chassis 0145 had class wins at Nürburgring, Reims, Zandvoort and was fifth overall at Le Mans. With its small size and 1.5-litre boxer engine, the 550A was nicknamed "giant killer," for its ability to chase down bigger and more powerful race cars.

The Dallara Stradale has been revealed this week, marking the first time the company has produced a road car. Known for its heavy involvement in motorsport, Dallara Automobili is an Italian company that normally designs and produces race cars - it says on its website that it manufactures up to 200 vehicles per year. It now also produces the Stradale, an 855-kilogram barchetta that focuses purely on driver enjoyment.

German luxury marque BMW is looking into a flagship X8 to sit atop its SUV range, likely to challenge the upcoming Audi Q8 and Lamborghini Urus - according to a new report out of the UK. While no details have been confirmed, Autocar quotes BMW's head of development, Klaus Fröhlich, hinting that such a model is an "opportunity". "It is early to talk about X8, but one of the first decisions I made when I worked on product strategy was to take the X5 and make the X6," he said.

The next-generation Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 has been spied undergoing testing in Europe. The most hardcore model in the 718 range looks set to have styling to match. There's an aggressive front bumper design with large air intakes and a prominent front spoiler that juts out as far as Jay Leno's chin. At the rear, there's an unmissable diffuser, a pair of exhaust tips straddling the centre line of the vehicle, and a free-standing wing large enough to double as an office desk.