In brief: Pop singer tops record

Lotus Elise. Photo / Supplied

A Turkish pop singer has become the world's fastest unaccompanied blind driver after taking a Ferrari 430 to 293km/h on a Turkish runway, with instructions relayed by a following driver. The accompanied blind driving record of 322km/h was set last year.

Ireland backs eco-buyers

The Irish Government has announced a $9500 incentive to buyers of electric vehicles, which will be exempt from rego tax. It says 10 per cent of the country's vehicles will be electric by 2020, with 2000 electric Nissans and Renaults arriving in 2011, along with 3500 charge points nationwide.

Rally ace stays off-road

Kiwi rally ace Emma Gilmour took her new Subaru Impreza WRX to second place at the inaugural round of the NZ rally championship. So what does a rally driver do when she's not racing? Rides a Yamaha WR250 - off-road, naturally.

Accolade for Aprilia RSV4

Aprilia's RSV4 has been voted sports motorcycle of the year by a panel from 12 European countries. The RSV4 retails at $29,990 as standard or $42,990 for the factory racer - the model ridden to nine superbike podiums last year by Max Biaggi, and to 329km/h, the highest speed ever achieved in a Superbike race.

Elise sporty but nice

The 2011 Lotus Elise, above, has a CO2 rating of 149g/km, the lowest for its performance level of any petrol-powered sports car. Lotus said it fitted a more efficient motor, streamlined the body and pared weight to just 876kg. The new Elise gets from zero to 100km/h in 6.5 seconds.

Art car to paint track red

BMW's 17th art car will race at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in June, just after its official reveal. The Jeff Koons-painted rolling artwork is a BMW M3 GT2.

Fastest Ferrari to debut

Ferrari's fastest road car, the 599 GTO, will be unveiled at the Beijing Motor Show. Based on the 599XX experimental track racer, the 599 GTO will be built as a limited edition of 599 cars.

Fresh take on California

Ferrari will launch a manual California this year, but expects just 10 per cent of buyers to choose it. After all, it's slower than the auto from zero to 100km/h, and it sucks more fuel.

Heavy revs for Type R

Volkswagen's hot Scirocco Type R gets a 2.0-litre turbo engine and DSG double-clutch auto that delivers 195kW and 350Nm. It rockets from zero to 100 in 5.8 seconds, with a sports-tuned chassis and electronic diff lock to keep power to the ground. It's yours for $68,250.