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THE McLaren name is so evocative here in the UK, it comes as a surprise that it’s hardly known at all in other parts of the world – including the US. That’s not only down to F1’s invisibility in the States, but the fact that McLaren Automotive is still one of the world’s newest car companies, only formed in 2010. So it’s nothing short of miraculous to see how far it’s come in such a short time, producing incredible cars like the 600LT Spider (Page 28) and the 720S Spider (you’ll have to wait until next week for that). While some British car makers are struggling, McLaren is going from strength to strength. As others are shedding workers, McLaren is busy recruiting. Last year, the Woking-based firm recorded global sales…

John_Mcllroy@dennis.co.uk @johnmcilroy THIS is the new Ford Focus ST, which will get more power than ever as it prepares to go into battle with the Renault Mégane R.S., Honda Civic Type R and the next generation of VW Golf GTI. The Mk4 ST will pack up to 12 per cent more power and 17 per cent more torque than the previous iteration. Those gains are likely to be necessary as the car squares up to the 316bhp Civic (tested on Page 36) and, within the next 12 months, a hot Mk8 Golf that’s expected to have up to 300bhp. Ford is continuing to offer the ST with a choice of petrol or diesel power, and the option of an Estate body style as well as the regular five-door. The 2.3-litre…

Jonathan_Burn@dennis.co.uk @Jonathan_burn THE wraps have just come off the hot Focus ST (Page 8), but later this year, a new car that’s arguably much more important to Ford’s future will enter showrooms: the third-generation Kuga. Due to arrive in dealers towards the end of 2019, the SUV is being tasked with not only stealing sales from the likes of the Volkswagen Tiguan and Renault Kadjar (driven on Page 30), but also assisting with reversing the brand’s fortunes in Europe and helping boost its profits in the region. The Kuga is Ford’s strongest-performing SUV on the continent; the firm sold 153,800 examples in Europe last year despite the car falling behind rivals in terms of comfort, refinement and availability of plug-in hybrid powertrains. But that is due to change with the…

John_Mcllroy@dennis.co.uk @johnmcilroy THIS is the Citroen AMI ONE, probably the slowest concept car to be revealed by a major manufacturer at the Geneva Motor Show, and certainly one of the smallest. It’s a pure-electric two-seater that can, in theory, be driven by young people aged 16 and above. That’s because it fits into quadricycle regulations – the same formula used by several small-scale French manufacturers, plus Renault with its Twizy. The AMI ONE – so called because it references classic Citroens of old, incorporates the word ‘friend’ and suggests it will be the smallest model the firm will ever make – is, in effect, a design concept created on the brief of a modern-day 2CV. Citroen’s interior design chief Jean-Arthur Madelaine told us: “When the 2CV was created for the…

BMW tuner Alpina has turned its attention to the fresh 7 Series, introducing a fettled version of the maker’s 4.4-litre twin-turbo V8. As before, power and torque stand at 600bhp and 800Nm respectively, but tweaks mean that the latter figure is reached 1,000rpm sooner, covering a plateau between 2,000rpm and 5,000rpm. When combined with BMW’s xDrive four-wheel-drive system, this allows the B7 to cover 0-62mph in 3.6 seconds – 0.1 second quicker than before, and 0.1 second up on a V12 M760Li. The B7 will hit 205mph. The smaller engine brings other benefits, too: the newcomer weighs 145kg less than the M760Li which, by limousine standards, should make the B7 sharper to drive. Alpina has applied its usual styling tweaks to the outside of the 7 Series. The most notable…

THE special-edition Range Rover Sport HST has been unleashed. It features an all-new mild-hybrid 3.0-litre straight-six turbo, and a range of exclusive interior and exterior trim. On sale now, the HST costs £81,250. The new engine generates 394bhp and 550Nm of torque, and is assisted by an electrically driven compressor via a 48V mild-hybrid system. As a result, the car will sprint from 0-62mph in just 6.2 seconds and hit a maximum speed of 140mph. Thanks to that mild-hybrid system, Land Rover claims the Sport HST returns 30.5mpg fuel economy and emits 213g/km of CO2. The system can also recover energy using regenerative braking and store it in the battery for use later. On the outside, the special-edition Range Rover Sport gets one of two alloy wheel designs, a choice…