The new VW Passat R36 - despite its placid exterior, it is the highest performance Passat to date, managing 0 to 100 in 5.6 seconds...
test it! The VW Passat R36


Despite its placid exterior, the Passat R36 is the highest performance Passat to date, managing 0 to 100 in 5.6 seconds. It's a family car with an amazing 300 horsepower under the bonnet- which translates as an exciting and fun drive. The R36 packs a smooth six-cylinders, but is still easy to handle. If the exterior is understated, the inside has a luxurious feel, with lots of polished aluminium. But all this comes at a price. At 45000 Euros the Passat R36 finds itself in direct competition with Mercedes and BMW. Two years after Volkswagen previewed the car, it's finally available through dealerships.compare it! The Alfa Romeo Brera with the Alfa Romeo Spider


Two Italian cars, two Alfas, almost exactly the same. One a Coupé, the other a convertible. The Brera, and the Spider, two cars with southern flair: two cars that make ideal Christmas presents for those who have it all. We ask the question: is it worth paying more for the Spider? Or should you get the Brera and pay extra for a glass hard-top? We tested the two Italians in the tough German winter weather.inside it! The pros and cons of technology- Electronic Quirks


30 years ago, electronic control units in cars were small boxes with a few wires coming out of them. Nowadays, it's a very different matter, they're a lot more complex, and there's more of them: up to 75 in each car. All that gear makes modern driving safer, but also more vulnerable to circuit failure. We looked at the pros and cons of having so much technology on board.race it! The European Le Mans Series


The Le Mans Series is motorsport taken to its extremes. A 1000 kilometer race that no driver can manage alone. What's unique about the Le
Mans Series is that all four classes of racing car start together. That can mean things getting pretty crowded in the driver paddock: it's not unusual for a race to have 50 starters. Because the different classes of racer have different speeds and acceleration, there is a starting lap before the race gets its flying start. Drive it! looks behind the scenes of the Le Mans Series at Germany's Nürburgring.admire it! The Alpina B6


The BMW M6 is without doubt the stuff of dreams. 507 horsepower, 0 to 100 in 4.6 seconds, top speed of 250 km/h. But even dreams can be improved upon. The Alpina B6 is the unchained version of the M6. Despite a smaller motor, it boasts 530 horses under the bonnet. And it can reach 100 km/h one tenth of a second faster. Its top speed is truly amazing: 319 kilometers per hour. The price tag is also staggering: 120000 euros, 6000 more than the M6.vintage! A man with a passion : the Mercedes 300 SL restorer


From Gunther Sachs to Tony Curtis: in the fifties and sixties all the stars drove the Mercedes 300 SL. Hans Kleissl has dedicated his life to the cars, restoring them for his collection, or to sell on. He spends a lot of his time tracking down rusty old models in barns and backyards all over the world, and bringing them back to life in his workshop. There they are taken apart, put back together, with Hans Kleissl paying passionate attention to even the smallest detail.