The Good Oil: Aston Martin's new Cygnet is no ugly duckling

The C-Type Jaguar. Photo / Supplied

Racing great Sir Stirling Moss has become one of the first customers to take delivery of Aston Martin's new Cygnet. A surprise gift for his wife, Lady Susan, Sir Stirling collected the model from the Royal Automobile Club's HQ in London. The pair had planned a private dinner at the club when the Cygnet, taking pride of place on the clubhouse's central rotunda, greeted them. Sir Stirling said: "Since seeing a pre-production Cygnet in January, I knew that it was the perfect car for Susie - a proper little piece of British luxury and perfect for our life in town." The Cygnet is based on the Toyota IQ - not the C-Type Jaguar the couple are in here.

Holden Torana should hatch top price

A rare 1977 Holden Torana A9X hatchback, stored for the past 12 years under a house in Sydney, goes up for auction next week.

It is one of only 100 hatchbacks, plus 33 lightweight bodyshells, produced by Holden to homologate the model for the Bathurst 1000. The A9X option was available on the SL/R 5000 sedan and SS hatchback LX Torana. The car's floor pan was unique, thanks to the Salisbury rear end and rear disc brakes, while other changes included steering gear bolted directly to the platform, a 3.08:1 differential, a front spoiler with brake cooling ducts and a bonnet featuring a large reverse air scoop. Auction house Shannons expects the A9X to fetch upwards of $100,000.

Black cat let out of the bag in Canada

Canadian Mercedes-Benz dealers have let the cat out of the bag about the C63 AMG Black Series.

They asked customers who paid deposits on the flyer if they'd like to enter a contest to go to the Nurburgring to test-drive the car after the German grand prix. The Black Series will run a 6.2-litre V8 loaded with internals from the SLS AMG supercar and delivering around 400kW to the rear wheels via a seven-speed gearbox and locking differential.

Hybrid high-rider on way

Lexus is planning on launching a smaller version of the RX 450h hybrid. It would be based on the Toyota RAV4, named the Lexus CX, and serve as a higher-riding counterpart to the CT 200h hatchback. It will be a hybrid only, targeted at the BMW X1 and Audi Q3.

Tune in for more from VW

Volkswagen is expected to launch its new Beetle with lots of tuning packages, depending on the size of the market.

Meanwhile, German tuning house ABT Sportsline has big plans for the sportier new bug, from full aero kits and upsized rolling stock to suspension tuning and extensive engine modifications.

ABT figures it can get the base 1.2-litre TSI up from 80kW to 105kW, the 1.4-litre from 120kW to 155kW and the 2-litre from 150kW to 170kW, with similar gains for the diesel models as well.

Who'd have guessed? Bus on the road to millions

A bus - of sorts - built by General Motors in 1939 to showcase future technology is expected to be the most expensive vehicle sold through eBay auctions. It's a Futurliner, one of nine left out of 12 or so built to tour the United States after the 1939 New York World's Fair.

It is 10m long and 3.5m high and was exhumed from a corn field in 1997 before being massaged back to life.

A similar restored example sold for $5 million in 2006. After the World's Fair, the 12 Futurliners toured the US under the "Parade of Progress" banner, showing the nation the technology of the future.

Coup for Cruze

General Motors is reportedly developing a two-door Cruze aimed at younger buyers in the US. Whether it will go global and wear a Holden badge, like the sedan and upcoming hatchback, remains to be seen. The updated four-door is winning praise and US reports say a coupe would give the badge more dynamic appeal. Development of the coupe is said to be well under way.

US sparks move for more noise

The United States Government has ruled that petrol-electric and plug-in vehicles must in future emit an audible sound. It is the first step toward proposing regulations to "protect unsuspecting pedestrians" from accidents involving near-silent vehicles. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood says: "America's streets must be safe for everyone who uses them. As we improve the environment with cleaner cars, we must also consider how it affects those on bikes
and on foot."