Good oil: Up for auction

The replica Mustang "Eleanor".

A replica of the silver and black Mustang "Eleanor" from the movie Gone in 60 Seconds is expected to fetch around $200,000 at auction in Sydney on May 15. The 7-litre Mustangwas built in the US and bought by an Australian in 2004. It has done only 575km. Based on a 1967 Shelby GT500 Fastback, the car is a faithful reproduction of Eleanor inside and out.


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The 100th auction of personalised plates in Britain has smashed all sorts of records. The plate "51 NGH" (Singh) was bought for £254,000 ($682,000), beating the previous record of £231,000 paid for "K1 NGS", which had stood for 15 years. The plate "1 OO" went for £197,000 and "MR51 NGH" for £101,000. The plate "RU55 ELL" was bought by property developer Russell Harrison for £78,500. Two cousins, Robert and Gerard Calise, who had never met and were not even sure of each other's existence, were both drawn to the auction by the number plate, "CAL 15E." Gerard got the plate for £1100 ($2950) and then approached his only competitor for the number and discovered the family link.

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Audi is developing a new off-roader to sit below the Q7 in the company's model range. Dubbed Q5, the newcomer was spied at the Nurburgring circuit and will go up against BMW's X3. The Q5 rides on a platform featuring elements from the next A4 and A6. TOYOTA THINKS BIG Toyota NZ will launch its new large car, the Aurion, later this year. It is being made in Melbourne and will be aimed at Ford Falcon and Holden Commodore buyers. Toyota is likely to offer a performance version using a supercharged 3.5-litre V6.

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Caught by police with illegal emergency lights on his car, Florida restaurant manager Kenneth Holmes, 26, said at his sentencing for impersonating a police officer that he did it "to get home quicker", and the flashers were a "fantastic time-saver" that enabled him to drive through red lights, reports the St Petersburg Times.

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Matt Brownlee, 33, was acquitted of a drink-driving accident in Ottawa after psychiatrists concluded it was the result of a sincere belief that singer Shania Twain was helping him to drive the car. They agreed that a 1996 brain injury might have given him a disorder in which he believes that celebrities communicate with him telepathically, reports the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation.