The standard Fiat 500 1.3 diesel is a car in desperate need of a performance boost, particularly when compared to the perky little Abarth 500. With only 75bhp the performance from the 1.3 Multijet diesel could best be described as adequate, but once the guys at tuning company Mcchip get their hands on it things get noticeably better. With a simple ECU upgrade, costing €500, the diesel powerplan...

The Home Office has decided to double the fine for drivers or passengers who don’t wear a seatbelt, or car owners who try to doctor their number plates. The fine for not wearing a seatbelt was just £30, but it was decided that this wasn’t enough of a deterrent. Now the on-the-spot fine will cost £60 for anyone stupid enough to be caught without their belt on. Motorists who try to dis...

Usually the release of a special edition indicates a manufacturer desperate to shift a few cars by tacking on some optional extras at a cut-down rate. So it’s something of a surprise to see Renault releasing a special edition of the new Megane and recently facelifted Clio. With the Clio and Megane World Series limited editions, Renault are hoping to celebrate the success of their internatio...

Fantastic news! Mugen Motorsports, the tuning division at Honda, have confirmed that the rumours are true and they are going to build a special version of the Civic Type R. Stripped out and boasting a tuned 2.0-litre VTEC engine, the Mugen Civic Type R will offer 240bhp and will take the fight to the European hot hatch makers. Ever since turbo-charging became the norm the 198bhp Civic Type R has ...

If you missed Top Gear last night then you missed one of the most important events of recent time - the unveiling of the Stig! Having just completed the news section of the show, Jeremy was interrupted by a white-helmeted figure who marched in onto the stage and - with a little encouragement from the crowd - proceeded to remove his racing helmet. Underneath was none other than seven-times F1 world...

Skoda have been a bit quiet on the motorsport recently. Having pulled the old Fabia out of the WRC they’ve not been seen a lot, but that doesn’t mean they’ve been resting on their laurels. No, they’ve been busy beavering away on a new Fabia to compete in the FIA’s Super 2000 category of the rally championship. The concept was first revealed in 2007, but now the Fabia...

Just in case you have been hiding under a rock for the last couple of months or hadn’t spotted the two trailers (one and two) I posted earlier, you’ll be pleased to know that Top Gear is back on the telly this Sunday. Now if you’re the sort of person who likes to keep their TV viewing a surprise you may want to look away now, but if you’d like to know what’s coming up...

Here’s another ‘kids’ trailer for the latest series of Top Gear, starting this Sunday. ...

Haynes have traditionally published detailed manuals for DIY mechanics, but for a while now have been gradually increasing their range of car books by covering less technical subjects. One great example is their recent Track Day  manual, which covers all you need to know about getting you and your car ready for track days. Now they’re entering the virtual world with the Haynes Driving Games...

Rumours are circulating that Seat are planning to announce a 265bhp version of the Leon Cupra at the Frankfurt Motor Show in September. By borrowing the turbocharged 2.0-litre engine from the new Volkswagen Scirocco R, the more powerful hatch would probably be badged as a Leon Cupra R to distinguish it from the standard Cupra. As well as a healthy power boost, it could also receive the seven-spee...

The Top Gear boys are back on Sunday, and to give you a taste of what’s to come here are ‘ickle Clarkson, May and Hammond. ...

Don’t forget to set the video for 8.00pm, BBC2 on Sunday (June 21st) as Top Gear returns for series 13. It’s difficult to pick out highlights, as it’s all worth watching, but for hot hatch fans there will be a head-to-head between the Ford Focus RS and Renaultsport Megane R26.R. All the magazines seem to have done the same test already, but it’ll be interesting to see Top G...