News Briefs

Named specially for our friends in the US, it seems, the Mini Convertible Sidewalk special edition offers a fancy leather-lined interior, manual air-conditioning, trip computer, multi-function steering wheel and ASC+T as standard. The Sidewalk goes on sale in April, with prices starting at £16,910 for the One version, rising to £20,235 for the Cooper S derivative.

The Peugeot 207 CC goes on sale in the UK this March and will be available only in Sport and GT trim. The range boasts two 1.6-litre petrol engines (120bhp or 150bhp) and a 110bhp 1.6-litre direct injection turbodiesel. The folding roof mechanism is fully automatic (no manual unlatching) and raises or lowers in 25 seconds.

Rinspeed, the Swiss concept-car maker, celebrates its 30th anniversary in 2007 and will mark the occasion at the Geneva motor show with a transparent- bodied open-wheeler called the eXasis (above). Driver and passenger sit in-line and the car is powered by a 750cc twin-cylinder bioethanol bike engine.

Anglesey, one of our favourite circuits and one of Britain’s most scenic, is undergoing a dramatic reworking that will see four new track configurations, a 10 degree banked corner, wider run-off areas and improved trackside facilities. The revamped track re-opens this spring.