Few cars carry as much prominence as the Bugatti Veyron, famous for its ultra-high price tag, striking looks and other-worldly speeds, but there will always be demanding customers wanting more. For them, Bugatti is offering an even more exclusive ‘roofless’ version labeled the Veyron 16.4 Grand Sport and it has just entered production at the company’s high-tech assembly facility in Molsheim, France.

To mark the production start of the new model, which will be limited to 150 units, Bugatti has hosted a special day for enlisted buyers to test drive some pre-production versions at Cannes, in northern France.

Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Grand Sport

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In late 2007 BMW CEO Norbert Reithofer revealed plans for several all-new models including a design study called the Progressive Activity Sedan (PAS). Then, at March’s Geneva Motor Show, BMW gave us the first tangible evidence of the new PAS in the form of the 5-series Gran Turismo (GT) concept vehicle. Today the wraps have come off the production version of the car, which is set to go on sale in Europe this October and in the U.S. early next year.

Clear differences between the production version and the concept are the smaller wheels, regular beige leather interior, rounded exhaust tips and new side mirrors.

2009 BMW 5-series GT concept

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What was just a rumor has now been confirmed, with Mini unveiling at its 50th anniversary celebrations a new special-edition John Cooper Works (JCW) Mini to mark the event as well as the achievements of John Cooper in the Formula 1 World Championships back in 1959 and 1960. The limited-run vehicle will be sold exclusively in British Racing Green – just like the original race cars - and is based around the same core as the JCW edition currently on sale. Incidentally, it was Sir Jack Brabham that won back-to-back titles at the wheel of the JCW Coopers, taking eleven race wins during these two seasons.

The latest car is called the ‘World Championship 50’ and it was just one of three special edition models unveiled at the Mini United 2009 event in Silverstone over the weekend.

Beatles ‘Magical Mystery Tour’ Cooper S

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While major auto manufacturers race to bring new electric and hybrid cars to market, other companies are looking at alternatives to electricity - including using air to power cars. The idea of an air-powered car is nothing new, and companies have been touting the technology for the past few years but for now not much has emerged in the way of a production model, largely due to flaws with the design of the vehicles.

In fact, many engineers are skeptical of the technology’s use, as the energy required to power air-compressors in air-powered cars is massive compared to using that energy in an electric battery instead.

Zero Pollution Motors AIRPod

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They’ve been called budget supercars for years now, and the latest crop of factory hot-rods are seriously infringing on that performance territory. Take Mitsubishi’s new FQ-400 special for the UK, unveiled today: 3.8 seconds 0-62mph puts it on par with the Corvette ZR-1, Nissan GT-R, Lamborghini Gallardo, and a handful of other cars costing up to ten times as much as the hotted-up Evolution X.

And that’s the magic of the 2009 Mitsubishi Evolution X and other cars of its ilk. For just a few thousand dollars - or pounds sterling, as the case may be - more than a family grocery-getter, you can have four-door utility with supercar performance.

Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X FQ-400

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