Brian Carless, Contributor

STEWART'S MOTORS of Jamaica, the exclusive dealers of BMW, had the launch of the 2008 BMW 135i coupe at the NCB Atrium in New Kingston on April 25. The car is a 6sp 3.0-litre twin turbo inline 6cyl pushing out 306hp, a first for BMW. It is fitted with the BMW M sports package with 245/35/18 wheels. The top speed is 250km/h and has a fuel economy of 9.2L/100km. The selling price for this car is $8 million.

John Force beaten by his daughter

Pro drag racer, 25-year-old Ashley Force, made history by becoming the first woman to win a Funny Car national event in Atlanta. Force is in her second season in the Funny Car division, and standing in the way of her and history was her father, legendary drag racer John Force, whom she beat in the finals with a run of 4.837 seconds at 320.36 mph.

Legendary game designer Kazunori Yamauchi, creator and producer of the Gran Turismo series, made the latest test drive in the 2009 Nissan Skyline GTR. He took the car, aka Godzilla, to the Nurburgring in Germany in an attempt to push it to a speed of 193 mph. Although the track was wet, he gave credit to his car handling skills to (you guessed it ) playing the game he created, Gran Turismo. I wonder if Dover will be on the next version.

The Lancer Evolution X MR output is increased by 20 hp (in JDM spec) to 305 hp and the mid-range has been tweaked to provide more low-end torque, dropping the 0-60 time to under five seconds. The paddle-shifted SST twin-clutch transmission transfers over from the GSR model (likely with some software revisions) and the body have been stiffened to maximise the MR's handling.

The Impreza WRX STI Spec C will get a slightly revised aero kit, with a roof scoop (functional?), standard gold wheels, a lightweight roof, aluminium trunk lid, compact battery, smaller fuel tank and thinner compartment glass all around. All that work is expected to result in a 154-lb drop in weight, so the Spec C will tip the scales at just over 3,000 lb.

Subaru is also planning to equip the new Legacy with the STI's drivetrain, a revised suspension and slapping on an 'S402' badge on the back, along with a sporting interior with more grippy seats. All of this is only for JDM consumption at the moment.

Land Rover premiered its original Series 1 off-roader in 1948. It is planning an array of birthday celebrations around the world. The Goodwood Festival ofSpeed will mark the occasion by showcasing Land Rover as its featured marque this year, in its 60-year history.

Land Rovers have arguably scaled more mountains and traversed more wilderness than any other motorised vehicle in the history of mankind. Land Rover is now under new ownership from Tata. The company recently received an early birthday present, in the form of two Queen's Awards for Enterprise. The first, for 'International Trade', was given in recognition of export sales of nearly £4 billion per annum to 147 countries, with markets such as China and Russia driving major growth.

The second, for 'Innovation', was awarded for Land Rover's acclaimed Terrain Response (TM) system. At the twist of a knob, this sets up the vehicle's engine response and traction systems to maximise performance on all terrains - the electronic equivalent of having an expert instructor alongside the driver.