The Stig, a new Fiesta and the sexiest Alfa?
February was an amazing month for motoring with the announcement of arguably the best supermini of all time and a shot of Top Gear's tame racing driver which proved to be one of the most intriguing photographs of the year.
The Stig unmasked at last?
The biggest secret on Top Gear isn’t how all three presenters have been named Heat’s Weird Crush, how many stripy jumpers James May owns or how much gel Hammond puts in his hair.
It’s quite simply who is the Stig?
See a larger picture of the Stig
And in February, the world got a glimpse of the tame racing driver after a photographer snapped a shot of him up close.
You could make out part of his face, but was he a racing driver or someone Top Gear paid £20 to dress up in the white overalls. Will we ever know or more importantly, do we want to know?
First details of new Ford Fiesta
There was a load of excitement when Ford announced the first details of its first new Fiesta in six years.
That’s because with the Focus, Ka and Mondeo, Ford build cars which sit right at the top of their classes.
And after driving Ford’s new supermini we have to admit it’s built another corker, with great looks, a good selection of engines and – like the Focus – brilliant road handling.
Click on the image below to view the slide show
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Rolls-Royce Phantom Coupe announced
Sitting at the other end of the price spectrum to the Ford Fiesta was the new Rolls-Royce Phantom Coupe – the world’s most exclusive two-door grand tourer.
Like the rest of the Phantom range, the Coupe uses a 6.75-litre V12 which develops 453bhp and 531lb/ft of pulling power – giving the 2.5-ton Brit-built beauty a 0-62mph time of 5.6 seconds and a top speed of 155mph.
It does cost £298,000 though.
Click on the image below to view the slide show
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Fiat and Renault go head-to-head with new hot hatches
Fiat announced an Abarth version of the 500 while Renault revealed details of its Twingo RenaultSport.
Both have around 130bhp, look great, will exceed 120mph, are placed in relatively affordable insurance groups, and handling superbly.
With the credit crunch tightening the purse strings of the average petrolhead, these two could be the thrill seekers’ answer.
Click on the image below to view the slide show
Video: Check out two Fiat 500 Abarth superminis in action:
Mini John Cooper Works
While the 500 and Twingo offer cheap thrills, the Mini John Cooper Works announced in February is a more hardcore animal.
With a rock hard suspension, bags of grip and a performance increase the JCW will accelerate from 0-62mph in 6.5 seconds and hit 148mph.
But at £20,995 and with little standard equipment it is a bit dear.
Click on the image below to view the slide show
Alfa 8C Spider announced
The Alfa 8C Competizione is quite simply one of the most breathtaking-looking cars ever built.
So how do you make it look better? Turn it into a convertible.
The 8C Spider gets the coupe’s same 4.7-litre V8 engine which develops 450bhp and gives a beautiful roar out of the four rear exhaust pipes.
The sad thing is that just 500 will ever be built meaning it’s unlikely you’ll ever see or own one unless you’re a seriously rich or find yourself in Monte Carlo.
Come back tomorrow to read about Mike Tyson, Wayne Rooney, a limited edition Bugatti Veyron and the return of a legend.
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