Lewis and Kovi feeling benefit of power boost, claims BMW

Rival teams believe Mercedes’ V8 engine is kicking out about 25 horsepower more than any other 2.4 litre unit on the F1 grid. That might explain why the team has managed to gain an edge on Ferrari in the last three GPs.

Right-hand drive supercar proof that Chelsea striker is staying?

Our football-loving team-mates over at The Spoiler have scooped The Drog’s flash new set of wheels. Editor Ryan Bailey takes up the story:

“So far this summer, Didier Drogba has been randomly linked to Inter, AC, Barcelona, Marseille and virtually every other European club worth mentioning. Yesterday, however, Chelsea may have been given the biggest indication of his intention to stay in the UK yet, as he had a convertible Mercedes SLR delivered to his Surrey mansion. The car appears to be right-hand drive with British plates, suggesting he wishes to stay here and pay the extortionate amount required to keep it taxed and on the road.”

Supercar selected for safety role in German championship

Audi’s R8 supercar - as driven by Cristiano Ronaldo; well, the normal road-going version, at least - is to be used in Germany’s DTM championship, as its official safety car.

“There were not many modifications required… because the R8 possesses the genes of a perfect sports car,” said Werner Frowein, managing director of quattro GmbH. A car with genes? Very strange.

As the photo shows, the special R8 is equipped with roof lights, plus special paintwork and DTM graphics. It has to be the best-looking safety car we’ve ever seen. Prior to the R8, DTM’s official safety car was a Mercedes C63 AMG. As you probably know, F1’s official safety car is currently a Merc (a modified SL63 AMG). We’d take the Audi, any day.

See another pic below:

Instant karma, in handy video format…

We’re pretty sure this must be set-up, but that doesn’t stop it being the most fun we’ve had on a grey Monday morning. If it is indeed real, then Mercedes really need to look into the sensitivity of their air bags.

Birmingham City midfielder gifts Mercedes to teenage trainee

In a remarkable display of generosity (for a footballer, anyway), Birmingham City midfielder Olivier Kapo gave his £30,000 Mercedes to the teenager who had looked after his boots throughout the 2007/08 Premier League season. The lucky lad in question is James McPike (pictured above), a 17-year-old on City’s books who has just signed a pro contract for the relegated club – yeah, we know the headline is slightly out of date, but “Championship star” is something of an oxymoron.

Japanese concept car at cutting egde of eco vehicles

Enough of all this fume-emitting motor racing. Let us stop for a second to consider the fragile planet that we live on (cue Enya)…

Here’s Toyota’s Hybrid-X, an eco-friendly concept car that is being shown off at all of the big spring motor shows. It’s currently on show in Beijing, at Auto China 2008. So, what’s so special about the Hybrid-X? Er, well, it’s essentially a next-gen version of the Prius (as driven by Larry David in “Curb Your Enthusiasm” – a ringing endorsement in our book), Toyota’s pioneering hybrid-fuel car. As such, it’s a damn sight better-looking than the Prius. More photos if you step this way…

FIA chief’s sex scandal rumbles on

Max Mosley has apologised in a letter to FIA members for embarrassing them after the story in the News of the World that implicated him in a Nazi-themed orgy. Mosley has not only denied having Nazi sympathies, he also had a dig at BMW and Mercedes Benz, both of whom criticised him in statements released this week: he alluded to the two German manufacterers’ links to Adolf Hitler’s regime, saying: ‘Given the history of BMW and Mercedes Benz, particularly before and during the Second World War, I fully understand why they would wish to strongly distance themselves from what they rightly describe as the disgraceful content of these publications.’

Shit, he mentioned the war.