Autoblog UK

If you're looking for an unusual Christmas decoration, Porsche Gelderland in the small Dutch town of Heteren could provide you with some inspiration. The local dealership has had a Porsche 911 Carrera 4S completely coated in chocolate. Master chocolatier Jan Blancken melted 175 kilos of the stuff and used it to covert the bodywork of the Porsche. For good measure, he spread a few kilos of white chocolate onto the headlights. The photo gallery shows each stage of the creation of this masterpiece which is set to decorate the showroom in the run-up to Christmas. The Porsche has 385 horsepower tucked away under its sweet bonnet. The technical specification of the brown racer will now presumably have to be supplemented with its calorie count.

Since 2004, Zenvo Automotive based in the small Danish town of Viby have been developing an incredible supercar. The Zenvo ST1 can compete effortlessly with the big names such as the Bugatti Veyron, Maserati MC12 and Pagani Zonda. There aren't many vehicles with an output of over 1,000 horsepower but you can now add the 1,104bhp Zenvo ST1 to the list. A 7.0-litre V8, turbocharged and supercharged engine sees service in the Zenvo ST1 to produce a staggering amount of grunt. Around 1,430nm of torque haul the rear-wheel drive car from 0 to 100km/h (0-62mph) in a breathtaking 3.2 seconds.

Porsche have always operated on the basic principle of supplying thoroughbred driving machines to motoring purists. This is particularly true of the legendary RS models. In its latest incarnation as the 911 GT3 RS, a member of the revamped 997 series, Porsche have once again demonstrated a sense for what is essential, giving customers the option of a lithium-ion battery which, by comparison with the conventional lead battery, offers a weight saving of over ten kilos. However, it seems that they are unable to resist making compromises: electric windows, automatic climate control and radio come as standard. You can specifically 'unorder' the radio and climate control to get closer to the ideal of the unadulterated racer. But why on earth would anyone want electrically operated windows, electrically adjustable mirrors, electric unlocking on bonnet and boot, and central locking? Away with this clutter! Dear Porsche, your new RS is great, but spare us all the gimmicks with this definitive 911. The softies at the luxury end of the market can always buy themselves a Bentley.

Since 2004, a string of muscle cars from the sixties and seventies have been making a comeback. Mustangs, Challengers and Camaros can again be found in places other than America. Iconic names bristling with new technology sell well. All that's actually still missing is a retro version of the Firebird, Pontiac's last great cult car.

In 2009, General Motors announced Pontiac's demise due to the worldwide economic crisis. Unfortunately for fans, there won't be a successor to the Firebird. But in the USA, there's one customizer itching to turn dreams into reality. For many years, drag racer John Lingenfelter has belonged to the cream of the US tuning scene. At the SEMA show in Las Vegas, the Indiana-based tuner displayed a Pontiac 455 T/A built on Chevrolet Camaro underpinnings. Lingenfelter intends to gauge the public's response before finally deciding whether to put the Firebird into production. One thing in favour of this relaunch must surely be the performance of the V8 engine under the shaker scoop that should put out 655bhp.

Every New Year, sales of calendars boom and men's hearts beat faster at the sight of the glossy pictures produced by Pirelli, Hugh Hefner or some other nice publisher. The month indicated is relatively unimportant. It's the girls that make the year bearable. Of course, it doesn't always have to be naked flesh hanging there on the wall. The sight of heavy construction equipment also appeals to the boy inside of every man. Childhood memories of playing in the sandpit are rekindled. Twelve of these fascinating monsters were photographed by Bauforum24 for Heavy Equipment Calendar 2010. Take a quick look at the gallery...

Don't know what to get your other half/little one/gran/in-laws for Christmas? Look no further, here's a present that would make anyone happy: a road kill calendar.

The gory little number, featuring foxes, badgers and other woodland creatures has been released just in time for Christmas and is supposedly a massive hit already.

The "artist" behind this delightful idea is a Mr Kevin Beresford. The 57-year-old man travelled the UK for a while, stopping at gruesome sights of dead animals and snapping away.

He claims having received a large amount of orders already and believes the provoking photos are a refreshing change to the usual calendar material: "I think customers are fed up with Peter Andre's six-pack and want something different. It's good to push the boundaries" he adds.

Now it's really a matter of taste. Which do you prefer checking out over your morning coffee? Peter Andre? Or a pureed badger?

The motorsport great John Surtees has become the first person to drive a sports car through the channel tunnel during a charity stunt. The drive was one of the events celebrating the 15th anniversary of the tunnel's opening.

The 1964 Formula 1 winner, who is still the only person to have claimed world records on both 2 and 4 wheels, drove an electric powered Ginetta G50 EV through the 31-mile tunnel.

He didn't break any speed records this time though as he had to stick to the 50km/h speed limit.

What didn't help with keeping a good time was also his constant stopping to have a closer look at the tunnel, which he called "a tremendous engineering feat".

"You certainly wouldn't want to be subject to any claustrophobic feelings down there.The tunnel is very small in parts," added the 75-year-old after eventually resurfacing in Coquelles, France.

The Finns are extremely fond of motor sport. Rallying in particular attracts many followers in Finland. Many of us wonder why so many good rally drivers hail from that country. Some say, it's a result of the relative isolation and the huge distances between places: drivers can routinely find deserted minor roads and hone their skills undisturbed. Others think it's the Viking blood coursing through their veins that makes them fearless. Maybe it's simply the sheer boredom of life in Finland that brings out the devil in them. The following video clip shows Finns blithely hurtling around rally stages.

Organisers of the Los Angeles Auto Show invited design studios based in Southern California to set out their vision for Mobile Teens in 2030 (Youthmobile 2030). Studies were drawn up by design studios at General Motors, Audi, Honda, Nissan, Mazda and Toyota. 2009 is the sixth year that this Design Challenge has been held. The winner will be announced on Press Day at the Los Angeles Auto Show, 2nd and 3rd December 2009.

Car Hero by General Motors can drive itself and is steered by mobile phone (that's if they are still around in 2030). Audi designers submitted two very bold design studies, the eSpira and the eOra, that are guided to their destination by hand movements (not a good idea for those of us who are not at our best in the mornings but nevertheless need to get to work). Nissan's V2G is an eco-friendly electrically powered car. This e-car has an aerodynamic egg shape and six wheels. In Mazda's Souga, the car's two occupants sit diagonally behind one another. According to its designers, buyers of the Souga will configure the car to suit their needs. Both Nissan and Toyota designers believe that, in 2030, vehicles travelling in the rush hour will often be joined together in groups of two or more. The Toyota's appearance can be digitally altered and tyre friction converted back into energy.

The new compact 5008 MPV is Peugeot's fourth new offering this year. They're really putting their foot down at Peugeot. Despite the credit crunch, new registrations are up for the French manufacturer with the lion on the bonnet. Their success is down to an extensive small-car line-up and a large range of low-emission vehicles, plus their efforts at breaking into new segments of the market, as with the new Peugeot 5008. Pleasing, flexible and offering good value for money, the car takes consumers by surprise. Fans of the marque have had to wait a long time for such an MPV. All good things are worth waiting for... so the saying goes. How true when referring to the 5008.