News in brief

Exclusive Ferrari nets huge price
One of only 29 Ferrari FXX models ever made has sold for a massive £1.9million in an online auction – £800,000 more than hand-picked customers were charged when the car was new! Famous owners of the 800bhp pumped-up Enzo include Michael Schumacher and Roman Abramovich.

Greener Porsches in the pipeline
Porsche is hoping to recruit the world’s top hybrid engineers in a bid to boost its cars’ average fuel consumption. It has already developed a hybrid drivetrain for the next-generation Cayenne and four-door Panamera. Other green initiatives from the firm include weight-saving materials and direct fuel injection.

Massive holes in road repair funds
Government targets for repairing holes in the road have gone to pot. New figures from the AA show 12 per cent of the UK’s one million potholes are being ignored by councils. Authorities would need an extra £200million a year to reach Government targets for filling in the holes by 2010.

Five’s alive as BMW celebrates
With five different generations and 36 years under its belt, BMW’s 5-Series is still thriving. To prove the point, the firm rolled its five millionth model off the production line at its Dingolfing plant in Germany on 29 January. The historic vehicle was a Carbon Black 530d saloon.