The Good Oil: Global Rover

Land Rover. Photo / Supplied

Land Rover will soon adopt a global naming structure that allows the company's products to carry the same nomenclature around the world, says a US report. The vehicles New Zealanders know as the Discovery4 and Freelander2 are badged the LR4 and LR2 respectively in the US.

The move isn't a huge leap for Land Rover, which is aiming for substantial growth worldwide over the next few years. The previous-model Discovery and Freelander were launched in the US as the Discovery and Freelander before the badging change. Car and Driver magazine says the changes will happen within the next five years, when the successors for the current LR4 and LR2 arrive.

Merdad puts its stamp on McLaren

British performance house Merdad has reworked a McLaren MP4-12C - but it isn't saying what it's done with the supercar's V8 engine.

Merdad usually works with Porsche Cayennes, but it's done a bang-up job with the McLaren.

A body kit beefs up the svelte lines of the standard car and a new splitter, with cues from the Ferrari 360 and GT by Citroen, changes the front. Gone are the twin gills along the sides, replaced by a single, massive vent that separates a fine front from a meaty business end. At the rear are new vents and colour-cued diffusers.

Talk is, the Merdad McLaren will be launched next year.

Defence auction

Seems there's some interest on this side of the ditch in an Australian Department of Defence auction next month of ex-army vehicles.

Auction house Manheim is handling the sale of 45 Land Rover TD5 Defenders, 200 cargo trailers of various load capacity, 90 motorbikes and 65 all-terrain bikes.

They're up for sale online and in the lanes in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide, Hobart, Perth, Darwin and Townsville.

Ford stands tall

Ford has created a new US television commercial as part of its "Drive One: Press Conference" series that casts a somewhat critical eye on the automotive bailout of 2009, when Ford sailed on alone.

The ad features Ford pick-up truck owner "Chris", who says: "I wasn't going to buy another car that was bailed out by our Government.

"I was going to buy from a manufacturer that's standing on their own: win, lose, or draw ... Ford is that company for me."

James Bond style

If the standard Bentley Mulsanne doesn't float your boat, a new option pack revealed at the Frankfurt motor show might do the trick. The entertainment and connectivity package puts the luxury British marque leagues ahead of the competition when it comes to interior customisation.

Integrated into the tray tables are a pair of iPads, complete with Bluetooth keyboards, for passengers in the back seat. A bespoke app controls audio and video sources and reading light, while another drop-down screen is fitted into the roof lining. This is powered by a 320GB mini Mac computer stored neatly in a retractable drawer in the boot. The car is hooked up with wi-fi throughout, so accessing the internet is easy.

Also included is a rear console, creating two individual seats in the back. Open the console up and there's an iPod dock, a tissue box (of all things), and a fridge with an electrically retractable door - very James Bond.

Got a spare $2.4 million?

The Lamborghini Sesto Elemento will be the sprinter to beat when it goes into production next year. Only 20 will be built, each one weighing 999kg and powered by a 5.2-litre V10 delivering 425kW and a 0-100km/h sprint time of 2.5 seconds.

The all-carbon fibre supercar has been designed for the track, although a VW Group spokesman at the Frankfurt motor show said it could be made road-legal. "If a customer wanted to homologate it for the road, I don't see that being a problem," he said. The Sesto Elemento's head-to-toe carbon-fibre construction will be a first for the automotive industry and looks to establish Lamborghini as a leader in this area. The supercar is likely to cost upwards of $2.4 million.

Vice-regal wheels

The Jaguar XJ8 used by Governors-General since 2003 goes under the hammer in Auckland today, along with four 2008 BMW 7-Series saloons from the Government's ministerial fleet.

Also up for grabs are a 2002 Lamborghini Diablo SE and a 2007 Ferrari F430 F1 Spider with the original handbook and less than 3000km on the clock. "This is a rare opportunity to buy from a range of vehicles with a unique claim to New Zealand's motoring history and we expect significant interest," says Graham Roberts, chief executive of Turners auction house. Bidding begins at noon.

Pontiac stays home

Looks like American Chopper star Paul Teutel Snr withdrew his Pontiac Trans Am Hurst Edition from the eBay Motors sale site. It's a reworked 2011 Chevrolet Camaro SS, with a Smokey and the Bandit-style body and paint scheme. There are changes beneath that bodywork as well. For starters, the LS3 V8 is supplemented by a big centrifugal blower. Inside, a chrome Hurst shifter and gold-and-black interior cement the theme of mustachioed 1970s hustler.

Teutel listed a "buy now" price of US$125,000 ($151,864) for the car, a figure that one muscle car website in the US found "galling".