Amazing Driving Skills from Super 7 Driver

The Seven, be that the original Lotus model or one of its many clones produced throughout the years, may be extremely light and nimble, but it also packs mighty punch and can easily turn around and bite you just when you're least expecting it -a fact that makes this driver's skills all the more impressive.

This five-year old video was said to have been shot during the Hagley and District Light Car Club's annual international autotest event in England, with some claiming that the Super Seven seen here is a Locost and not a Caterham model.

Whatever the brand, you have to admit that the man behind the wheel of the Seven, Christopher Evans, is one very talented driver. Watch the video for yourself right after the break.

2012 Chevrolet Camaro Coupe Excels in NHTSA's New Crash Tests

Here's some more good news for General Motors as the 2012 Chevrolet Camaro Coupe is the first car to score the highest possible five-star rating in every individual test of the National Highway Traffic Safery Administration's (NHTSA) New Car Assessment Program since the introduction of the new standards in 2011.

The more rigorous federal testing procedures that NHTSA introduced for 20111 include a new side barrier test and a new side pole test that simulates a 20-mph side-impact crash into a 10-inch-diameter pole or tree at a 75-degree angle just behind the A-pillar on the driver’s side.

“The Camaro has always been about performance, and that includes safety performance,” said Camaro chief engineer Al Oppenheiser. “We always strive for five-star ratings, and the fact that we achieved them under more rigorous requirements is a great accomplishment.”

The 2012 Camaro’s safety specification includes six airbags, the StabiliTrak electronic stability control system and seat belt pretensioners as standard.

GM notes that the five-star rating does not apply to the convertible version, which despite having received a five-star rating in the rollover test, has not yet been tested by the NHTSA under the new 2011 standards.

Bentley Continental GTC

As Bentley is on track for a new annual record of 7,000 sales, the U.S. continues to be the number one market for its open top models, accounting for almost half of Bentley convertible worldwide sales.

And in the whole of the U.S., California and more specifically its southern part, is the place to go if you want to see a convertible Bentley. Therefore it makes perfect sense to choose the LA Auto Show for the new Continental GTC's North American debut.

“Los Angeles is the ideal location for Bentley to launch the luxurious and powerful GTC convertible”, said Bentley’s member of the Board for Sales and Marketing Alasdair Stewart. “Southern California remains the most successful market for Bentley in the U.S., and the U.S. remains the largest market in the world for the company.”

The second-generation GTC, which goes on sale at the end of the year, has adopted Bentley’s new “face” first seen in the Mulsanne. Under the hood of what Bentley claims is the stiffest open-top car in the world is a hand-built, turbocharged 6.0-liter W12 with 567HP and 516 lb-ft of torque that powers all four wheels via a Quickshift automatic transmission.

The interior is swathed in high-quality leather and wood, while an 8-inch touch screen infotainment system reminds you that this is the 21st century. And just so you can open the top whenever you feel like it, the GTC even has neck warmers in the rear headrests.

Of course, with an MSRP of US$212,800 sans any options, you wouldn’t expect anything less…

Land Rover 100 Concepts

Land Rover would like to know if there is an appetite for the next generation of the Defender that is being previewed by a pair of new concept models.

To that end, the British automaker brought both its DC100 hardtop and DC100 Sport convertible 4x4 studies to this week's Los Angeles Auto Show to gauge customer reactions and explore the possibility of bringing the Defender back to the US market.

"Our intention is to introduce the all new Defender in the middle of the decade - there's a lot of work to do to meet these dates and our concepts are just the start of the journey," says John Edwards, Land Rover Global Brand Director. "We are here in LA to showcase our DC100 and DC100 Sport concepts and start to actively explore the possibility of bringing the future Defender to North America."

The LA Show concepts have received some barely noticeable updates since their world premiere at the Frankfurt Motor Show in September 2011. Both iterations of the DC100 now ride on new 20-inch alloy wheels shod with Cooper all-terrain tires, while the hardtop model is now finished in Land Rover's signature combination of "Heritage Blue" paint with a Candy Weiss white roof.

In addition, Land Rover will show a DC100 equipped with expedition accessories such as a raised air-intake 'snorkel' for wading and a roof rack.

In concept form, the DC100 is powered by a 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder diesel, while the DC100 Sport gets a 2.0-liter turbo gasoline engine, with both models featuring permanent four-wheel drive with an eight-speed transmission, and a next-generation Land Rover Terrain Response system. The British company said that both powertrains have been designed with future hybridisation in mind.

"Our ambition is to create an all new Defender for a global market that remains absolutely faithfully to its original DNA: tough, versatile, durable and capable," said Edwards. "At the same time, it will be developed for the 21st century and adaptable for the needs of future generations."