Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution and Subaru Impreza WRC cars on auction

Iconic rally cars go under the hammer

Are you Team Subaru or Team Mitsubishi? A 2003 Subaru Impreza S9 WRC car driven by Petter Solberg and a 2001 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution VI WRC driven by four-time World Rally champion Tommi Makinen go up for auction on Sept 25.

Hosted by specialist vehicle auction platform Car & Classic, the list of cars includes a 1983 Ford C100 Group C endurance racer and an E30 BMW M3 Group A race car formerly owned by Jay Kay, frontman of acid jazz and funk band Jamiroquai.

Bidding runs until Oct 3. View the complete catalogue and register to bid at str.sg/CZfn

Volkswagen’s hottest GTI debuts

Fifty years after making “GTI” the byword for performance hatchbacks, Volkswagen has unveiled the ID3 GTI, the most powerful car from the German carmaker to feature the three letters.

With 240kW (322hp), the electric rear-wheel-drive hatchback overtakes the petrol-powered Golf GTI Edition 50 by a single kilowatt. The Edition 50 was launched globally in January, but was not offered in Singapore.

On paper, the ID3 GTI is not actually quicker than the engine-powered Edition 50. It takes 5.6 seconds to get to 100kmh from rest, 0.3 seconds behind the 2-litre turbocharged Golf GTI. Top speed is also lower by 70kmh at 200kmh.

However, the electric car will likely feel more energetic on the road, courtesy of 545Nm of instantaneous torque, compared with the Edition 50’s 420Nm, which is available from 2,000rpm to 5,400rpm.

Following the world debut, the ID3 GTI will be available for pre-orders from early 2027.

Updated Nissan MPV arrives

The popular Nissan Serena e-Power multi-seater has been updated with a new front-end, upgraded driving assistance systems and all-round cameras.

Presented in seven- and eight-seater forms at the refreshed Nissan showroom in Ubi Road 4 on Sept 24, the car was showcased along with a preview of three upcoming models.

These are the facelifted X-Trail, arriving before the end of the year, followed by the Elgrand luxury multipurpose vehicle in the first quarter of 2027 and Kait, a compact sport utility vehicle, in the second quarter.

Before applicable discounts, the Serena is priced from $273,800, inclusive of certificate of entitlement.

Little Fiat 500 gets a bespoke remake

Bucking the current trend of overpowering classic cars with modern race tech, British company La Cinquecento has re-engineered the cute Fiat 500 – nicknamed the “topolino”, or little mouse in Italian – to deliver a more involving drive while preserving its charm.

Called “Scattante” – Italian for sprightly – the prototype uses a 1970 donor chassis and is powered by an 800cc, two-cylinder, twin-spark engine from a Fiat 126 behind the rear seat. The suspension, braking and steering systems have all been either reworked or custom constructed.

The design has been tweaked by Milan-based studio BorromeodeSilva. Changes include wide wheel arches, new side skirts and rally-inspired fog lights. Pricing is not announced but the company plans to build only “a handful” each year.

Find out more about the car at www.500.design

Extreme Mercedes-AMG

With its extremely wide bodywork and a monstrous 646hp from a tuned 4-litre, bi-turbo V8, the Mercedes-AMG CLE646 Spezialanfertigung is arguably the modern successor to the 2000s’ CLK DTM.

The angry-looking coupe is 60mm wider than the CLE53 AMG coupe. Shedding the all-wheel-drive system and using more lightweight construction methods, the car weighs 170kg less than the CLE53 AMG.

Despite relying solely on rear-wheel traction, it takes just 3.9 seconds to hit 100kmh, 0.3 seconds faster than the CLE53.

The CLE646 is the second model in the Mercedes-Benz Mythos series, following the PureSpeed windscreen-less speedster.

The car will be a rare sight, with global production limited to 30 units, all already spoken for.