The Good Oil: Posh adds a little feminine spice

Victoria Beckham with a Range Rover Evoque. Photo / Supplied

Twenty years ago Land Rover hired British designer Terrance Conran to help shape the interior of the 4WD Discovery. For its latest model, the Range Rover Evoque, it sought a women's touch from Victoria Beckham, appointing her as a creative director of sorts. Her involvement didn't end there. Word is the new mum will lend her name to a special edition of the Evoque, featuring a signature interior. There is also talk that it will be a convertible.

People moo-ver

Seems corny now but the advertising line in 1953 was considered slick: "The Ford Anglia: Never mind the horse power - it's beefy enough." The picture is one of 100 that Ford has released to celebrate its carmaking history in Britain. It says of the scene: "On a typical British farm the farmer tends his cattle while the horses wonder whether the Ford Anglia's 36bhp (27kW) is any match for them." The Ford Anglia 100E was launched in 1953. Says the Ford archive: "It offered the innovations of integral construction and MacPherson strut suspension. An existing side-valve engine remained unchanged in size but it enjoyed significant improvements to power and smooth running. Although styling replicated large Ford cars the Ford Anglia proved an agile rally car, winning its class in the 1956 Safari Rally."

Lightning McQueen

A pair of ex-Steve McQueen cars - a 1970 Porsche 911S and an
aluminium-bodied 1953 Siata 208/S Spider - will be auctioned in California next month.

The Porsche was delivered to McQueen on the set of the movie Le Mans and actually made an appearance in the opening scenes. The auction house says it is in mostly original condition with just 20,000km on the clock. Its current owner is comedian Jerry Seinfeld. The Siata 208/S was bought by McQueen in 1956 and has changed hands several times since. It has been rebuilt with period-correct components, including an all-aluminium engine: an 85kW 2-litre eight-valve V8. Italian company

Siata set up shop in 1926 producing components for Fiat and, after the World War II, began making its own cars. Just 35 examples of the 208/S were built.

V8 Kia, anyone?

South Korean carmaker Kia has confirmed it will build a V8-powered, rear-wheel-drive coupe and unveil the concept at the Frankfurt Motor Show in September. The car is based on an all-new chassis that will also underpin a flagship luxury saloon, due next year. It's been styled by head of design Peter Schreyer and tasked with moving Kia's image away from its budget background. Kia vice president Hyoung-Keun Lee told reporters at the launch of the new Rio in Seoul: "I think we need some sort of image car." A roadster (pictured) like the Mazda MX-5 and a sporting sub-brand are also being considered.

With our failures combined we are the Monster MK1

British insurance company Warranty Direct has put together an imaginary car made up of the worst parts of what its data says are the least reliable cars in Britain. It's called the "Monster MK1". Starting with the drivetrain, the nightmare car boasts the engine from an MG TF mated to the gearbox from a Land Rover Freelander. Suspension bits come from the BMW M3, thanks to Warranty Direct's claim that 40 per cent of M3s in Britain need suspension repairs each year. Moving on, the Volvo C70 donates its steering gear and the Mercedes-Benz V-Class van gives up its shoddy ignition. Wiring and electronics come from the Renault Megane, and the air-conditioning and heating bits and pieces come from Volkswagen's Spanish brand Seat. Bringing it all to a halt, assuming it actually got moving in the first place, are the brakes from an Audi A8.

Name drop a step towards rally return
The next-generation WRX might not carry the Impreza name. That's the word out of the US, where reports say Subaru is looking at dropping the Impreza handle in a bid to make the new model very different from past kin. A Subaru source is quoted: "Apart from a few nuts and bolts, every part on the WRX will be unique. Even the engine and body." The car's platform will be "radically modified and significantly shortened". One report said the platform would be based on that of the Toyota Yaris. There will be a new four-cylinder boxer engine, too, a turbocharged 1.6-litre unit delivering 200kW. The outcome is obvious: Subaru is using its joint-development deal with Toyota to build a new-look WRX eligible for the World Rally Championships.