A chance meeting with...

A chance meeting with ex-McLaren F1 designer Gordon Murray in Geneva has thrown-up some intriguing revelations. The much-anticipated two-seater T25 city car тЂ“ his self-titled design companyтЂ™s first offering тЂ“ is finished and ready for production!

However, besides a handful of demonstration prototypes, the sub-Smart ForTwo sized car wonтЂ™t actually be built by MurrayтЂ™s firm. Instead heтЂ™s looking to lease the carтЂ™s blueprint out to companies who can build the thing themselves. And apparently a number of big money organisations have already shown an interest, the majority of which arenтЂ™t actually car manufacturers.

Acura, Audi, Honda and...

Acura, Audi, Honda and Volkswagen will integrate iPods with their car stereos for 2006 model lines. There are now 15 car companies around the world offering iPod integration, and more than five million cars will ship with iPod support in the US in 2006.

The Honda and Acura Music Link iPod integrations will be the first to include text-to-speech capabilities or VoiceID, which is used to search for playlists, artist and album names or genre information. Both companies will feature iPod integration in the majority of their lineup beginning later this year.

A development of the...

A development of the Stinger currently used by police and the barbed X-Net laid across military checkpoints, the super-strong lasso goes a step further. It has a belt-style loop made of bullet-proof Kevlar and studded with barbed spikes. They bite into the stolen car’s tyres, deflating them and pulling the loop around the axle. The lasso’s extra-tough synthetic rope unwinds from a pulley that can either be anchored to a concrete block or bolted on to a special HGV-rated tow truck. As the rope unwinds, a hydraulic valve slows it down and brings the car to a stop.

Developed by Canadian-based inventor Robert Boll, it will have to go through extensive trials before the Association of Chief Police Officers approves it for UK roads. And if it passes the tests, traffic police would need special training to use the lasso effectively.

A famous Brit is back...

A famous Brit is back from the dead! Auto Express can exclusively reveal that the MG TF LE500 тЂ“ a special-edition run of 500 for the UK тЂ“ will cost ТЈ16,399 each. And that undercuts the equivalent previous-generation TF by nearly ТЈ700 тЂ“ but itтЂ™s still more expensive than a basic Mazda MX-5 by the same margin.

The limited edition will have plenty of standard kit. Leather sports seats, a piano-black finish and air-con are all included, as well as 16-inch alloys, painted calipers and LE500 badging. The sporty, rear-wheel-drive two-seater is an updated version of the original MG TF which went on sale in 2002. Changes include a fresh face with revised lights and a remodelled bumper.