Question: If you could be any body part, which would you choose?

In a move that appears to mimic its best fictional client, Aston Martin has introduced a "James Bond-style" watch with transponder that can unlock the car doors. Unfortunately, it can't start the engine or fire missiles, but those developments have to be around the corner...

Sbastien Loeb scored his seventh consecutive victory on Rallye Deutschland this weekend to claim the lead in the FIA World Rally Championship, while team-mate Dani Sordo came home second in the sister Citron C4 WRC.

It pays to know people. As much as your college wants you to think that getting an MBA is what will give you an edge in the world, at the end of the day it's all about who you know. This counts for everything in the business world, but when it comes to your personal life, it's a little different. Who you're friends with determines who helps you move, who you BBQ with and who helps you wrench on your car.

The highly-anticipated new James Bond adventure, Quantum of Solace, will feature a cameo appearance by Ford of Europe's fresh-faced new Ka.

BMW 135i Project
Ahead of the 135i's North American launch, we acquired one of the first cars to hit US soil. This head start meant we were the first to lower the 135i using H&R coilovers supplied by Turner Motorsport (www.turnermotorsport.com) - an installation guide is at www.eurotuner.com.

Like baseball athletes descending upon Florida for spring training after a long winter break, Volkswagen and Audi enthusiasts from across the eastern seaboard converged on Englishtown, NJ for the northeast show season opener in April. The Spring Classic VW & Audi Show & Go, organized by German Squad car club, was the first chance for people to scrape the winter grime off their cars and get the 2008 season started with a bang.

Just in time for the Olympic Games - the biggest sporting event in the world, being held in the Chinese capital of Beijing, Mini is on top form and is making a great start in Beijing!

580hp and 479 lb-ft of torque with its twin-turbo V10 and quattro permanent all-wheel drive, the Audi RS 6 is a car without equal. Following on the heels of the RS 6 Avant, Audi now presents the sedan. It drives like a supercar thanks to its superior performance and thrilling dynamics, yet offers all of the everyday utility of a large business sedan.

Sunday 10 August saw the return of the popular Socal Euro event to San Diego's Qualcomm Stadium. The turn was huge and the vent attracted its usual mixture of European cars, from the mainstream VW, Audi and BMW to large groups of Mercedes, Volvo and Mini owners.

In the et 8/08 issue, we introduced Evolution Racewerks (www.evolutionracewerks.com) newest BMW 135i project car. Since the tuner fabricated its own front-mount intercooler, downpipe and exhaust, the car's been upgraded further with widened front fenders, 18x10" Forgeline wheels, KW Clubsport suspension, Injen intake and Snow Performance water methanol injection. More parts are said to come before its next race at Super Lap Battle this coming November in Buttonwillow, CA, but we heard ER got their hands on the first set of Brembo big brakes for the 1-Series. So we infiltrated their facility in Southern California to document the install.

Fiat has just released this tantalizing small SUV in Europe. Based on its top-selling Panda, it offers a combination of serious 4x4 potential with a maneuverable city-car.

Aston Martin has released this snapshot of it new One-77; described as "the ultimate creative interpretation of the renowned British marque." Whatever that means...

Lotus Engineering has developed technologies to synthesize external sound on electric and hybrid vehicles to counteract the growing concern these `quiet' vehicles pose to pedestrians and cyclists. A simulation of the sound of a real engine is used on the `Safe & Sound' technology demonstration vehicle, making it instantly recognizable that the vehicle is in motion.

2002 BMW M3
Almost two years ago, Jeff Nguyen told us he'd built his car to be mild. "Mild meant trying to heavily modify the car yet not have it appear over the top with crazy bodywork or bright paint," he said at the time.

There are a handful of shows we look forward to every year, and the Fests always top our list of "must see" events - that's Waterfest and Bimmerfest for the VW and BMW crowd, respectively.

2004 VW GTI 1.8T
There's something wrong with this picture. The '04 VW GTI 1.8T you see here is styled seriously Euro, incorporating several parts direct from Germany. It also sits extremely low on wide wheels with stretched tires, and boasts a big turbo under the hood. But let's take a look at the surroundings. Notice the mountains: snow in the distance; dark, gloomy clouds. This US-built GTI isn't from your typical West or East Coast location. Instead it hails from its "no-coast" home of Colorado.

For anybody unfamiliar with the term, twincharging refers to the use of both a turbo and supercharger to boost an engine. The technique is also known as turbo compounding and was developed during and after WW2 for aircraft applications. It was subsequently adopted by the heavy truck industry but most famously saw service in the frantic days of Group B rally competition.

Five generations, 34 years and over 26 million vehicles after the original Golf went on sale, the sixth generation has been unveiled.

Toyota has unveiled the "Winglet", a personal-transport assistance-robot that is ridden in a standing position.

Giving a hint of another small, fresh, economical car from Europe that almost certainly won't make it to the US is this news release about the new Ford Ka, which will take centre-stage at the 2008 Paris Motor Show in October.The new Ka brings new levels of style and enjoyment to affordable city cars.

In case you've missed it, eurotuner is part of the Castrol Syntec Top Shop Challenge (www.SyntecTopShop.com), in which several magazines have teamed up with a reputable engine builder to produce the best all-around engine. The contest has been bringing out the best and worst of everybody involved. From our perspective, rivalries have been blown out of proportion and we're lucky the cops haven't shown up to settle these disputes. However, let it be said: we won't be beaten by the imports!

Ten years ago Jeff Gerner was heavily involved with the SCCA at the regional and national levels, racing front-wheel drive Civics and CRXs in autocross and road course events. It wasn't until he noticed how more much fun the Audi folks were having at these events that thoughts of an automotive affair crept in.

Lower emissions, better gas mileage, less noise, environmentally friendly; you wouldn't expect all these claims to be made about a diesel motor, not to mention a race car! But Volkswagen has done just that with its '09 Jetta TDI that's set to hit dealers this summer.

British motorsport specialist, Prodrive, is best known for its race car preparation on the Subaru World Rally team, Ferrari and Aston Martin GT cars, etc. However, it recently has designed lightweight horse racing stirrups made from carbon fiber to help make the world's lightest jump racing saddle.