love this rendering of the humble, but subtly phat and menacing Volvo Amazon.

Volvo must be one of the most misunderstood automotive brands ever created. Tarnished with decades of middle-of-the-road, family focussed earnestness, I've always thought there has been something innately stylish about most of the cars the company has marketed.

The 240s, 740s, 850s and V70s had the boxy utilitarianism that was a template for getting the job done. The P1800s meanwhile were rakishly dashing, and many were produced with Jenson DNA here in England.  The C30 remains an interesting little hatchback with a stamp of individuality amongst the cookie cutter mass.

The Amazon may have reminded the world of the stolid end of the Scandinavian identity, but as the creator of the bad-looking Amazon above drew out, there was an element of that clichéd cool sexiness there too. Watch this space for more Scandinavian adventures.

When Porsche released official pics of its new lightweight champion this morning, they bound to point out that the Boxster Spyder always be driven, loved, cooed-over with the top down.

Because like a great Hollywood leading man disgracing himself with a cheap toupé, this racing beauty was never meant to be covered up on top. In fact, we think with the ragtop in place the car looks awful.

But sling the cabin open to the elements, and the whole car's dynamic aesthetics come alive.

It's not only the Carrera GT like twin humps that rise provocatively from the rear three quarter of the car that floats out boat. It's the fact that Porsche have produced a completely re-imagined, sports oriented Boxster for the legions of the faithful. Because in our opinion the bog-standard Boxster has become a bit of an eyesore on the streets these days. It has become an icon of aspirational motoring that fails by and large to live up to the nobility of the brand.

But no matter. A tweaked evolution of the Boxster S six cylinder rests just forward of the Spyder's rear axle, and produces ten more horsepower than the engine in the S. But crucially, the extra power here will combine with around 80 KG less bulk, a lower centre of gravity and revised running gear to create a guaranteed tarmac hugger in the tradition of great GT racing Spyders of other eras, like the brushed steel cool of 1953's 550 Spyder (pictured).

Porsche reckon the car will accelerate from 0-60 in around the mid-four second mark, and  top out at 166 MPH (with the top down, of course). We particularly dig the retro detailing and the almost carnal rear three quarter perspective.

The Spyder will be available worldwide from february 2010, and will retail at around £44,500.

Within a short ten days of one another, both the launch of the Ferrari World theme park in Abu Dhabi's Yas Island is announced – along with the sale at auction of a one off 599 GTB Fiorano 'China' art car. In two media spectacular, the Ferrari brand occupies both the rarified upper echelons of car culture - as well as a very populist, very 21st century style of car consumption.

Influential Chinese Artist Lu Hao created the unique 'cracked glaze' effect pattern on the 599, which made around 1.2M Euros at auction yesterday in Beijing. According to Ferrari the design evokes the values of the sought after Ge Kiln porcelain of the Song Dynasty – and thereby appealing to the rapidly expanding super-rich class of China – for whom European culture crossed with the ancient heritage of the far east is a holy grail.

Meanwhile in the middle East, Ferrari World is set to become the largest indoor theme park in the world, complete with a myriad of attractions for all the family, which include the world's fastest roller coaster, virtual Ferrari F1 rides, and of course an acreage of Italian food outlets and retail space.

Whatever you think about what they are planning for the Ferrari brand, the Modena hierarchy are certainly not hiding its light under a bushel.

Let's just hope the cars continue to be an outstanding blend of passion and engineering, rather than simply the brand extension of a corporation producing global pop culture.

No sooner had Toyota announced the advent of the long-awaited FT-86 supercar, than the digital rumour mill had begun to grind out the preposterous idea that that Subaru would also be offering a version of this prodigal child –  and a bigger, badder, faster version to boot.

According to various sources out there on the WWW, it seems that a turbocharged, 4WD version of the FT86 with the scooby magic has been confirmed as the Subaru A 216.

It has been known for a while that the two companies have been collaborating on the development of the the new model, but sources close to the industry have revealed finally that there will be clear water between the Toyota badged manifestation of the car and that bearing Subaru's five stars.

As well as different model codings, the Subaru version will be driven by a 2-litre turbo, probably in the shape of an evolution of the lump that powers the Impreza 2.0 GT. Look out, also, for the inevitable STi version someowhere down the line. The 216's body will be fatter, wider and longer, and of course the extra drive train metalwork will inevitably add a substantial bit of weight.

Prices haven't as yet been released, but we reckon it would make sense for the scooby to sit somewhere around the £60K mark, broadly in line with the Nissan's delectable GT-R.

Thanks to 7Tune for the scout.

The message that Harley-Davidson killed its sporting sub brand Buell broke to shocked yank bike loving global community last week. In response, Harley CFO John Olin told the press recently "We have not quantified the benefits of increased focus on [the] Harley-Davidson brand as a result of discontinuing Buell nor included any potential savings in our restructuring estimates."

Reports have been current that net income across the HD empire has fallen 71.4 percent so far in 2009 compared to the same period during  2008, whoch was already a very quiet trading period.

According to various sources the company plans to get themselves out of their very large financial hole by building more large-capacity tourers and cruisers, as well as offering more performance add-ons and accessories to their existing range. They also plan to shut down production of the erstwhile perennial big seller the Sportster for the rest of 2009

It's always a tragedy when companies go under, people lose their jobs and an absence is created in the culture of quality machinery. Though they were not to everyone's tastes, Buell certainly produced some spectacular bikes over the years (our fave being the muscular XB 12-S), and pioneered some truly innovative technology, notably fuel-in-the-frame.

This obviously emotional statement from company founder Eric Buell says it better than any of us could hope to. And if you're a Buell lover, then it might be time to get down the local dealership and scoop up an instant classic.

The basis of this special edition will, apparently, be a standard issue 370Z Touring model, equipped with the 3.7L twin-cam V6, 6-speed manual and Sport Package. The anniversary edition adds an exclusive paint job and red leather interior  – as well as special edition branding.

Does life begin at forty? We drove a regular 370Z  a few weeks ago, and there certainly looks to be life in the old dog yet.

But, googling around for an example of said tourer the other day, I came across an acreage of images of the CSL. Now I can't stop thinking about those sleek retro lines, the rakish pillars, the greenhouse of glass and the pert little tail. Now in my daydreams I'm hurtling around the green hell teasing that tail out, listening to Traffic on the factory-installed  eight track, impressing my ice-maiden co-driver with my throttle sensitivity.

I can't be the only one who daydreams....

‘Scura’ means 'dark' in Italian. Phantom black, light and tricked out in all sorts of track-specific goodies, this could be the Lotus that every young hooligan desires.

Contrasting high gloss ‘Phantom Black’ triple stripes run the length of the car and a carbon fibre front splitter, oil cooler inlet vanes, side airscoops and rear spoiler enhance the different textures of the design. Equipped with the most powerful engine in the Exige range and generating 260PS, the Exige Scura achieves a top speed of around 245 km/h and reaches 0-100 kmh in just 4.1 seconds.

It comes with Ferrari-style launch control to make pullaways efficient and spectacular, 'variable slip traction control',  which apparetly enables the driver to tune the car to track surface conditions and their own driving style. Ohlins 2-way adjustable dampers complete a truly track-tweaked spec. All this, and it still manages sub 200gms emissions. Call it a mid-life crisis, but we want one.

OK, We know it's a bit of a cliché to bang on about how Steve McQueen was the coolest man that ever walked the face of the earth. But it's uncanny – the WWW keeps shoring up images that you can't ignore. Look at him. One handed, riding his Triumph in Clark's desert boots, Levis and white Fruit-Of-The-Loom. Casual as you like. Props to whoever managed to capture this image back in the sixties. And props to Marky P (again) for the scout.

Brooklyn-based artist Kevin Cyr manages to infuse the beaten up old vehicles he draws with a real sense of emotion. Like careworn characters in a drama evolving along the highways of America, his subjects are tagged up Econolines and beat up old Mr Whippy vans. In Kevin's hand the American automotive dream is a much less glamorous affair than more traditional idealised American automotive art. "I have always been interested in painting vehicles and scenes that have defined the evolution of the American landscape,"  he says, "Removing [these old vehicles] from their everyday context gives them portrait-like importance. "

www.kevincyr.net

Thanks to General Consumption for the scout.