Topgear News

I’m happy when my little hatchback gets 31 MPG on the highway, but German-based Loremo AG is set to debut a 2+2 coupe at the Geneva Auto Show that gets a whopping 157 MPG.

The £8,000 Loremo LS weighs just 992 lbs and features a two cylinder turbo-diesel engine pumping out a hardly earth shattering 20HP. The mid-engine, RWD coupe gets roughly 157 miles per gallon and has a cruising range of 807 miles. It goes 0-60 in 20 seconds and has a top speed of 99 MPH.

A more powerful £9,000 Leromo GT will also be available. It weighs in slightly more at 1,036 lbs and features a 3 cylinder turbo-diesel with 50 HP. It gets 87 miles per gallon, has a cruising range of 497 miles, goes 0-60 in 9 seconds and tops out at 137 MPH.

It’s been a long time coming, but BMW has finally let its famed M Division loose on the Z4, and the results are spectacular. Not only does the car look sensational, it sounds the business, too.

A tell-tale bulge in the bonnet and an aggressive front airdam distinguish it, while the trademark M Division four- pipe exhaust transmits the 3.3-litre straight-six engine’s fabulous mechanical soundtrack into the cabin.

The Z4 is 85kg lighter than the M3, but has the same 343bhp engine, so performance is impressive. The six-speed manual gearbox has a short and accurate shift, while M branding features on the seats, wheel and gearlever.

It’s the diesel VXR! With a 200bhp turbocharged CDTI engine, sports suspension and uprated racing brakes, this hot Vauxhall Astra can run rings around more expensive petrol performance cars - and still achieve fuel returns of over 40mpg.

But don’t go phoning Vauxhall to book a test drive just yet. The model you see here has been developed by Triple Eight racing - the same people who run Vauxhall’s British Touring Car Championship team. And only 100 will be available, through specialist Vaux-hall dealer Thurlby Motors.

Ever wondered what car designers do in their spare time? Here’s one answer. Garrick Zack, a General Motors stylist based in Michigan, USA, created the Phueled Type 1, a four-wheeler that rides like a motorcycle and was inspired by speeder bikes seen in Star Wars.

“It combines the stability of a car with the fuel efficiency of a bike,” explained Garrick. A 600cc engine from a Yamaha FZR powers the machine to 150mph, while special suspension linkages mean the steel spaceframe body tilts around corners as the wheels stay in contact with the road.

Cars like this are so hit and miss, so what do you think? Slick James Bond-esque runabout, or glorified polomint?

Rin for cover - more Porsche-based machinery is set for a storming Geneva Motor Show entrance. And it hasn’t got to travel far - this is the zaZen, brainchild of Swiss design house Rinspeed. It’s based on a 997 Carrera S Cabriolet, and features the supercar’s 355bhp 3.8-litre engine.

While the nose and wheelarches are unmistakeably Porsche, modifications include a 70mm lowered height plus orange and white paint containing millions of miniature Swarovski crystals.

The concept of Energy Efficient Motorsport (EEMS) has been discussed within the UK motorsport industry for a number of years. It seeks to place a premium on the efficient use of resources and to encourage the development of alternative fuels and powertrain technologies and put energy efficiency at the heart of modern motorsport – without comprising the sporting spectacle.

Over the next 10 years the automotive industry will have to meet the challenge of complying with increasingly demanding environmental legislation. It is already widely accepted that non-fossil fuel based solutions are needed if future legislative targets for energy consumption and reduced emissions by motor vehicles are to be met. There is no doubt that the competitive and highly skilled engineers involved in motorsport can make an invaluable contribution towards creating solutions. Marketing and public relations opportunities will also result from this.

Drop the hood, don the sunglasses… and cover your ears. That’s what drivers might expect to do in a diesel convertible, but more manufacturers are now producing oil-burning cabrios.

Nearly 40 per cent of Audi A4 soft-tops sold last year were TDIs, and the prestige four-seater diesel cabrio ranks are about to swell further with the arrival of Saab’s 9-3 Convertible TiD.

The petrol version is already a top- seller in the premium sector, and the Swedish firm expects the TiD to account for 20 per cent of the 6,500 soft-top sales it predicts for 2006.