Naughty but nice is the latest take on the Mini Clubman, which looks set to continue its starring role in fun and fashion events around the world.

This time the Clubman, which was the subject of a dress-up game that resulted in many wild concepts before the car even got to showrooms, has been dressed to impress by British lingerie label Agent Provocateur, which has a huge following in Europe.

Agent Provocateur has really done a number on the Clubman. By harking back to the days when the original Mini was a police paddy van in Britain, it has turned the 1960s machine into a patrol car that would be a dream machine for petty criminals.

“The divvy van with a difference has been kitted out like a burlesque bedroom on wheels, thanks to the manic machinations of Agent Provocateur's founding father Joseph Corr,” Mini Australia spokesman Alexander Corne says.

“It comes with fold-flat reclining rear seats and restraints for ankles and wrists, ensuring the wickedly dressed assume a supremely supine position for interrogation.

“Barred rear windows, obscured by luscious blinds, ensure no one, especially the paparazzi, gets to peek in while the rozzers do their thing.”

Corr has even included a whip, in case the police need some extra persuasion.

The body of the car has been painted in regulation white and black, but the look also includes drag-racer-style alloy disc wheels.

Inside, it's a padded cell with pink and black leather trimming.

The Agent Provocateur Clubman was created to star at one of Europe's biggest annual fundraising events, the Life Ball in Vienna, which helps fund research for a cure to AIDS.

For the past four years Mini has provided a one-off car created by an edge artist, including Donatella Versace, to sell through the ball.

Now that the Clubman has made its run up the red carpet and starred in a shoot with models also dressed by Agent Provocateur, it goes up for auction on eBay from June 5-15.

Ford Performance Vehicles boss Rod Barrett admits he has been surprised by the $170,000 price tag on the 7.0-litre HSV 427 but, despite suggestions that the car's 200-unit production run is fully subscribed, he doesn't see a similar pricing structure for a GTHO.

“I think that's a lot of money,” Barrett says. “I don't think I could put a car up at that money.

“I know we're talking a couple of years off at the moment, but that price would be double the most expensive car I've released (the FG-based GT-E) and I just don't know where I could get the content to justify charging that price.

“Anyway, I want to make this car affordable — affordable to the bloke who's a genuine GT-P, Cobra or GT Anniversary driver or collector. If the GTHO was to be a $100,000 car, I would be OK with that.”

Original Phase III GTHOs from the 1970s have become something of a phenomenon in recent years, with auction prices soaring. While predictions of a million-dollar sale have not been realised, the top auction price has hit $750,000.

Barrett said that while any production GTHO would be a limited-edition vehicle, it would be “special and affordable”.

“The whole thing in this vision is that it'll be a completely different car to the Cobra or the 40th Anniversary GT. I've promised not to badge-engineer this car and I won't.

“It will be a purpose-built car that reflects the attributes of a 1971 GTHO in all its forms.

“We're not going to spray a car in a colour, throw on a stripe and say, `There you go — that's a GTHO'.

That's not my vision for it.”

Barrett says he has a clear plan in his head as to what will underpin a modern GTHO — right down to the wheels and the colour.

There's just one key piece of the puzzle missing: what V8 is going to sit under the bonnet.

“The (current 315kW) 5.4 is probably at the max of its power, so we would have to be looking at the global Ford family to find something suitable,” Barrett says.

“Whatever it is, it has to have the character, reliability and driveability that's at the core of all FPV cars.”

At the opposite end of the FPV scale, Barrett is working on ideas for a small — possibly four-cylinder — FPV hero.

“To be honest, I haven't yet delved too deeply into the Focus, but it's on the priority list, albeit down the order,” Barrett says.

“When the Focus comes down the production line at the Broadmeadows factory (scheduled for 2010 or 2011) that's something we'd be looking at.

“Again, no formal discussions have been entered into with Ford, but that's the most realistic opportunity for us to do a small car because we can use the same mother-car model.

“At the moment we would struggle with making a business case out of an imported car.”

It would be a case of deja-vu for Aussies because the original Scirocco was never released here either.

Launched in 1974, the first Scirocco was a replacement for the aging Karmann Ghia sports car.

Based on the Golf and styled by Giugiaro, the car took its name from the hot wind that blows from the Sahara to the Mediterranean Sea.

It went on to forge a reputation as a fun, affordable sports package until its demise in 1992.

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Volkswagen is keen to tap back into this emotional section of the market with the release of a replacement under the same name.

The new Scirocco made its international debut as a concept under the name Iroc at the 2006 Paris motor show (a shortened version of the name).

Although the company describes Scirocco as a sports coupe, it is in fact a three-door hatch with seating for four people - but with individual seats for the rear passengers.

Based on the Eos rather than Golf platform, it is officially available with a selection of four diesel and petrol engines, including the new Twincharger.

They range in power from 90 to the 147kW, the latter being the turbocharged 2.0-litre engine from GTI.

Volkswagen said the new coupe will be offered with numerous “innovative” technologies such as an adaptive chassis control system.

It all sounds good but Volkswagen Australia believes the car deserves a more powerful engine for this country to match its premium, sporty persona.

Unfortunately, this stance puts it at odds with Volkswagen's global strategy for the car.

Volkswagen Australia boss Jutta Dierks said unless she can get the car with the right engine and specification levels, it would not be a paying proposition.

Ms Dierks said it was the most difficult model she has had to tackle since arriving here to run the company in 2005.

In this time, sales of Volkswagen cars and commercial vehicles have more than trebled here.

Ms Dierks revealed this week she has spent months arguing the case for Scirocco with head office, making several trips back to Germany specifically to discuss this vehicle.

Scirocco is likely to appeal to buyers of Golf GTI and R32, sparking fears in North America at least that it could cannablise GTI sales.

GTI is incidentally the company's biggest selling Golf here.

Taking Scirocco further upmarket with the addition of a 3.2-litre V6 for example would not only reinforce the car's sporting credentials but put some distance between the cars.

“I would love to have a more powerful one [engine], but that's all I can tell you,” she said.

Ms Dierks added, however, that the final decision on whether to import the car rests with her.

“To be honest if we can't fit it into the position we think it should be in then we won't bring the car in,” she said.

The upgraded range, which will include a GT designated model, arrives here in July. Those dedicated rotarians of Hiroshima remain the only carmaker to persist with this singular form of propulsion.

Mazda claims the 1.3-litre twin rotary has undergone so many modifications it almost amounts to a new unit. Compared with its 13B-REW predecessor, the Renesis rotary engine saves about 5 per cent in rotor weight and 15 per cent in flywheel weight. The use of dual injectors, an electronic throttle and a 32-bit Powertrain Control Module (PCM) also enables more control of the air-fuel ratio.

Slightly enhanced acceleration and fuel economy can be expected. The latter is no bad thing given that while the ultra-high-revving mill (it keeps going way up to 9000rpm) can rival V8s for squirt, it is also apt to drink as heavily.

The GT also cops specially tuned sports suspension with light-weight 19-inch wheels. Aside from the standard slick-shifting manual transmission, the revised range finally gets an automatic with the contemporary number of cogs, six, with steering wheel-mounted shifting paddles like the MX-5.

While Mazda Australia is thriving on sales of its medium and light cars, the Mazda2, 3 and 6, it's rear-wheel-drive sportsters, continue to sell well.

The original Mazda RX-8 has won more than 50 automotive awards, including 2003 International Engine Of The Year and the 2003 Wheels Car Of The Year.

More than 170,000 RX-8s have been sold worldwide to punters attracted by the rotary aspect and the practicality of its four seats, the rear two being accessed by semi-concealed suicide doors. Mazda Australia has sold 5400 since release. So far this year, 171 new RX-8s have found homes.

The range starts at $48,990 rising to $55,840 for the limited release Rotary 40th Anniversary edition.

The next generation of Lamborghini road rockets could use turbocharged or supercharged engines to maintain their supercar edge.

Force-fed powerplants are now clearly on the drawing board as the Italian company searches for the best way to maintain the power-to-weight potential of its Gallardo and flagship Murcielago.

But there is still a conflict in the company.

Lamborghini director of research and development Maurizio Reggiani dead-pans the idea, but chief executive Stephan Winkelmann says it is under investigation.

Reggiani says naturally aspirated engines that fire the right numbers in key speed measurements are core to Lamborghini's composition, and introducing boosted powerplants is in direct conflict with that core DNA.

However, Winkelmann admits turbo or supercharged units are “something we are working on”.

“Mr Reggiani is right, but on the other hand we are working on the future,” Winkelmann admits.

So it is not out of the question for Lamborghini to wedge an awesome V12 turbo-diesel engine into the Gallardo down the track.

“Not only the near future, but the far future and there are no limits in terms of whatever contingencies you might have. It's the same as we have.”

The new Gallardo V10 engine now comes with what the Italians call Iniezione Diretta Stratificata, which in Audi-speak is FSI or direct fuel injection.

It comes as Lamborghini adopts a more responsible role in the world community, saying it is important to reduce noxious exhaust emissions.

The just-launched and heavily revised Gallardo LP560-4 super coupe has made a massive leap in CO2 emissions, even though it has increased engine capacity and output.

Set to be officially unveiled by Subaru Japan on June 17, the sleek seven-seat wagon is initially slated for the domestic market but Subaru Australia is not going to let that interfere with an opportunity.

“We are very keen to learn more about it from Fuji Heavy Industries,” Subaru Australia's Dave Rowley says. “It is not on the horizon yet but we are very keen to discuss it with FHI and explore any business case for Australia.”

While Subaru Australia believes the Exiga could establish a new niche segment, it will most probably be compared with more car-like people movers such as the Honda Odyssey.

“It would potentially be a new niche for Subaru but without having seen the full spec it would be difficult to categorise it,” Rowley says.

“In Subaru's unique way I would say it is potentially a new niche vehicle.”

Spy photos of the Exiga production vehicle indicate that it is very close to the show concept unveiled at the Tokyo Motor Show last year.

“I would say that the front looks a little more rounded ... a little more conventional than on the show car,” Rowley says. “Not unlike the current Outback, in a way.”

Early reports out of Japan suggest that the 2.0-litre four-cylinder boxer turbo engine from the Forester will feature prominently in the Exiga. That will give the car a decided performance edge over other family-friendly people movers or crossover SUVs.

Output is expected to match that of the Forester XT's 169kW and 320Nm. A naturally aspirated version will also be available producing 108kW mated to the Forester's four-speed automatic transmission with the turbo version getting an auto transmission with SI Drive similar to that available in the 2007 Legacy.

It is a given that the Exiga will also feature Subaru's signature all-wheel-drive technology.

The Exiga will be the first all-new model since the 2005 Tribeca 4WD. On size it will fit between Forester and Liberty and Outback; the next generation of which is expected in Australian showrooms around August next year.

The show concept was built on what was essentially a development version of the next Liberty and Outback platform, slightly longer at 4780mm than the current cars.

With a height of 1630mm and wheelbase of 2750mm, the interior appears to offer ample space for seven passengers with the option of making the second-row captains' seats and reducing the load to six. It also appears from spy shots that the massive glass “panorama roof” on the show concept may survive into production.

The first retractable hard-top in Ferrari history was unveiled yesterday with new photos of the California model – in the Azzuro colour its legendary namesake wore at the 1962 New York motor show.

The California - a name used in the past for a drop-top Ferrari in the 1950s - is a two-plus convertible that will sit alongside the 430 coupe in the company's range.

The folding roof is not the only first-timer on the car. The California will also have its rear wheels driven by the Italian marque’s first seven-speed dual clutch, which Ferrari says cuts shifting time “effectively to zero”. The company says the front-mounted 4.3-litre V8 engine will have a fuel consumption figure of 13.2L/100km with CO2 emission levels of around 310 g/km.

A new launch control button enahnces high performance starts by ensuring correct torque delivery and preventing tyre spin during acceleration. The car is 4560 mm in length, 1900 mm wide and has a wheelbase of 2700 mm.

Its first public appearance will be at the Paris motor show in September, but a queue has already formed for the car in Australia with more than a dozen fans putting down deposits to be the first with the latest from the prancing horse.

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He has a master's touch with pen and ink — and now we'll find out how well Warren Brown handles cars, with News Limited cartoonist chosen to host the Australian version of Top Gear.

Brown – whose artwork regularly appears in Sydney’s Daily Telegraph — will be joined on the petrol-scented show by Australian motoring commentators Charlie Cox and Steve Pizzati. The Aussie Top Gear top guns were chosen from more than 4000 applicants. A final group of 12 fought it out for the hosting role wheel to wheel at a Top Gear Australia camp.

It's the first time the BBC has allowed a local version of its hit, which has been on and off air since the 1980s, but has globally boomed during the past five years.

The UK series has been one of SBS's top-rating shows, with viewers following the antics of Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May.

The show is as much about them as the cars they put through various tests and challenges and experiments, such as converting an everyday car into a stretch limousine.

Brown promised the local version of the eight-episode, one-hour series would deliver the local flavour Australian car nuts have been starved of on television.

“It will be very much in the spirit of the UK's Top Gear, but it will be very Australian and therefore very different,” he said.

“Charlie and Steve are fantastic fun, really intelligent and know their stuff.

“We don't want to clone the British guys and we will have a very Australian feel without us wearing broad-brimmed hats with corks hanging off them.

“There has been an amazing amount of internet chatter about the Australian series and we promise we won't disappoint.”

The show will feature road tests, challenges and comparisons between, say, a V8 Commodore and its BMW equivalent to see which stacks up best.

Production company Freehand and Top Gear Australia executive producer Peter Abbott — the original Big Brother — said the series would entertain as much as inform.

“We always remind ourselves that this is a show about cars but it is not a car show,” he said last night.

“A lot of the show's UK appeal is that it's a comedy about three men and their banter, bond and friendships and the secret is their chemistry.

“The cars are props for them to bounce off.

“Charlie, Steve and Warren are men, but in their hearts they are big boys who like to play and wonder about the world and they share a great sense of exuberance and humour.”

Top Gear Australia begins production next month and will air later in the year. It's about time — Australia has not had a regular prime-time motoring series since Torque ran for eight years from 1973.

And, for them, it will be a relative bargain with a price tag of around $500,000

A cut-priced Rolls-Royce sounds like a contradiction, but the all-new RR4 - with a final name still to be revealed - will be less than half the price of today's Phantom limousine.

The British brand has just revealed the first sketches of its new 'baby', but they reveal very little beyond the basic outline.

What is already known is that RR4 will be smaller than a Phantom but larger than a BMW 7-Series, which could be the donor vehicle for at least some of the car's components. After all, BMW Group does own Rolls-Royce.

However a company spokesman says the majority of components will be uniquely Roller.

“There is a sizeable amount of hand-built components along with a high level of individual skill required to build this new series,” says Rolls-Royce Asia Pacific corporate communications manager Hal Serudin

“Also, unlike other brands, a vast majority of the componentry along with all significant parts – engine, chassis, wheels etc, will be unique to Rolls-Royce.

“Although this car will be lower in price than a Phantom, it will be still one of the most exclusive cars available.”

The car will have a new engine, expected to be a V8, a move confirmed earlier this year by outgoing RR chairman Ian Robertson.

The sketches of RR4 come just a month before Rolls-Royce goes public with its third model, the Phantom Coupe. It follows the original four-door limousine and the Drophead Coupe, which has been a sell-out for close to a year despite a $1.2 million pricetag.

The sleek and modern urban-designed but off-road-capable Koleos, will arrive in Australia in September in three trim levels in four-wheel drive and two-wheel drive with diesel and petrol engine choices.

Prices will start at $30,000 and range up to the low $40,000s, according to Renault Australia senior communications manager Craig Smith.

“We plan to sell 100 to 150 a month, making it our biggest-selling model in the range,” he said. The current top-selling Renault in Australia is the Megane sedan, which sells some 70 to 80 a month.

“We now have 25 per cent of the market segments covered, but Koleos will lift that to about 40 per cent.”

Koleos is built on the Nissan X-Trail platform with the same running gear.

In a multi-national focus, the Koleos is the first product of the alliance between the Japanese and French car companies and will be built in Korea by Renault Samsung Motors.

At launch, the Koleos, which means butterfly, will be available in 4x4 and 4x2 petrol models and 4x4 in diesel, with a 4x2 diesel to come later.

Smith said there would be no issues with supply, but if customers ordered a model not in stock it would take about 10 to 12 weeks to arrive from Korea.

He said the vehicles would be well-equipped, including standard curtain airbags and stability control.

“We expect younger buyers to be attracted by the urban-centric vehicle with weekday practicalities, weekend leisure capabilities and a quiet cabin,” Smith said.

The Koleos comes with 112kW and 131kW versions of the two-litre diesel engine or a 2.5-litre 127kW petrol engine, both with six-speed auto or manual transmissions.

While specific features have yet to be confirmed for Australia, Smith said Bluetooth and satellite navigation would not be available.

It also comes with a horizontally split rear tailgate, automatically folding rear seats, a host of stowage areas and will be the first Renault in Australia with a three-year 150,000km warranty.

The Koleos is part of a Renault product assault this year which continues next month with the Laguna diesel hatch in six-speed manual and auto, the Clio RenaultSport in July, the Laguna estate in September, followed by a two-litre turbo hatch and the Sport Megane DCI in October.