Honda continues tiny EV development, Chevrolet confirms Spark EV for L.A. and BMW goes retro to celebrate nine decades of motorcycles — all in today’s First Shift…

Honda Micro Commuter Prototype unveiled Current battery physics won’t allow a pure-electric full-size pickup. At least one that could be driven out of your laneway without needing a recharge.  But small — I mean really small — vehicles like this Honda Micro Commuter Prototype, may have a shot at becoming usable electric vehicles in the future. Smaller than a Smart ForTwo, Honda’s Micro Commuter Prototype is a follow-up to a concept first seen at last year’s Tokyo Motor Show. Seating is 1+1, tandem style. With a top speed of 80 kilometres per hour and a 96 km driving range, Honda is testing prototypes “in various uses including supporting everyday short-distance transportation for families with small children and for senior citizens, home delivery services, commuting and car sharing.”

Biante Touring Car Masters

The Biante Touring Car Masters has quickly become the most popular support act at the V8 Supercar Series. Race fans can’t get enough of the action that sees some of the biggest names in Australian motorsport history battling it out on the track.

With a range of iconic pre-1974 muscle cars on display this action-packed series is a hit with generations of spectators. From Falcon GTs to Holden Monaros, Toranas and nimble Porsche 911s, some of the most iconic muscle cars get to show off at every race.

The Masters series gives some of Australia’s most successful V8 Supercar drivers a chance to show they can still give it everything they’ve got on track. Racing legends like seven time Bathurst winner Jim Richards, John Bowe and Glen Seaton mix with other racing enthusiasts to keep the crowd on the edge of their seats.

Long time racing enthusiasts with a passion for motorsport can also get involved in this exciting series. Eddie Abelnica, self-proclaimed rev-head and owner of Melbourne’s Cheapest Cars, is one of the lucky drivers who gets to mix with the legends of motorsport at every race.

The challenging Hidden Valley Racetrack in Darwin was the scene of the latest battle. With a huge crowd in attendance at one of the favourite events of the season there was some fierce competition across two days of racing.The heat caused chaos with a number of entrants spending plenty of time in pit lane. Abelnica was powering through the field in his XB Falcon in a tough race before engine dramas unfortunately caused him to end the weekend early.

It was a couple of days of action that started and ended well but with plenty of drama in between. Andrew Miedecke enjoyed a hugely successful event with two race wins in his Camaro to give the Championship title a red hot go.

Porsche 911 Turbo

£107,956 - £118,183

Massively fast, massively competent and massively makes you look like someone who was just a bit too scared to buy a GT3. The answer? Buy a GT3.

For the majority of us, the quickest 911 in the world thanks to its brilliant four-wheel drive system. Lacks of a bit of dynamic Porsche purity, though…

Comfort

Surprisingly calm and placid for something that’ll keep pace with a GT2. The dampers absorb all but the worst road ruts, and there’s almost no kickback from the steering.

Handling

By objective standards, the Turbo is simply superb – good steering, progressive brakes, predictable manners even when you’re really chucking the back end out. But, alongside the awesome GT3, it just feels a fraction disconnected. We’re being picky, mind.

erformance

How does 3.9 seconds to 60mph and a top speed just shy of 200mph sound to you? The only way you’ll go quicker in a Porsche is in the GT2, and even then you’ll need testicles of titanium. The Turbo is a far more manageable beast.

Rolls-Royce Drophead

£322,068

Can you carry this off? Winning the Lottery isn’t enough – you need a freakish level of assured unflappability to pilot what is basically a yacht, complete with decking.

The Rolls-Royce Phantom Drophead Coupe is a unique way to travel, perhaps more like a beautifully built water craft than a car.

Rolls-Royce Ghost

£193,875

This is supposed to be a smaller, sportier, more usable Rolls, but the only way this Ghost qualifies as ‘small' is in comparison to the ermine and aluminium freight train that is the Phantom

It's the Ghost's sense of self - the utter confidence of character that allows it to use BMW bits and still produce undeniably a Rolls - that makes it such a success.

Rolls-Royce Phantom Coupe

£303,268

A Rolls-Royce with sporting pretentions? Dash and blast it, what the bally Moses do those cads think they're doing? If it wasn't so dashed fantastic I'd take my stick to them.

The most exclusive, awe-inspiring coupe ever? The Phantom Coupe is right up there

Comfort

Masses of the stuff. Even though this is the so-called performance car of the Rolls-Royce range, it’s still more comfortable than your own personal cloud. If you’re looking to splash out – and hell, you’re buying a Phantom Coupe, so you’d better be – go for the optional ‘Starlight’ headlining: 1600 lovely little twinkling lights on the ceiling. Ahhh.

Handling

The Rolls Coupe handles. Really, it does. We understand why you’re sceptical – it is slightly longer and wider than Dorset after all – but the steering and ride have been firmed up and there’s even a ‘sport’ button. A sport button! In a Rolls! We’d actually be angry if it wasn’t so damn good.

Practicality

Practical in the way that having a personal, highly-paid assassin is practical.

KTM X-Bow

The X-Bow is a stripped-back, essentials-only sports car for the driving purist - the exact approach you'd expect a motorbike manufacturer to take with a four-wheeled project.

Focussed carbon-heavy track car with a turbo’d 2.0-litres of Audi reliability and superlative looks (and pricetag). Maybe a little soft, but that can be sorted relatively easily by adjusting the suspension. Or you could wait for the hotter versions rumoured to surface soon.

Comfort

The X-Bow is a surprise for something that looks like it should be starring in the ‘Transformers' movies - you can actually go some distance in it without crippling yourself. Obviously there's no weather protection, so you've got to be a little careful with exposed body parts (ie/ your face), but properly kitted up this is an easy car to drive, if not for a long way

Cool

A bit try-hard, maybe, but you'll stop traffic. 

Handling

This is where the KTM gets a little devisive. Loris Binnochi (he of Pagani fame) sorted the chassis and it's a peach - but it isn't the most committed thing you'll ever drive. It drops into safe understeer pretty early. Fun for the beginner, but not quite matching the super-extreme looks. Luckily, there are more hardcore X-Bows in the pipeline - they should add some spice to a great base version. 

Running costs

The ‘base' car is around £50k, the full carbon twice the price. Pretty good on fuel, ludicrous on insurance. This is a toy - your wallet will be forced to treat it like one

Ariel Atom

Cars don't get much more hardcore than this. You need to have a biker's attitude to dressing for driving, but the reward is superb.

One of the purest driving experiences you can get. And you’re exposure to the elements just completes the thrill. OK, so your eyes may fall out, but this is worth it.

Ferrari 599

£201,500 - £206,615

Two of you sit in leather-sculpted splendour immediately behind a divine V12 engine. All things considered, this may be the greatest all-round Ferrari ever made.

No-one can quite believe how good the 599 is. Staggeringly fast but remarkably easy to drive. It’s pretty much as fast as an Enzo too, which just shows what a difference a couple of years can make.