BIRTHDAY LOTUS

I’ve loved the Jaguar E-type since I was toddler in the 60s and have come close to buying one a couple of times. The one you’re looking at now I’d like very much. It’s a modern replica of one of the 12 lightweight E-types built by Jaguar in the 1960s and has been built by first-class E-type specialist Eagle.

Eagle has for decades been modifying E-types to make them more practical to use on

What a coincidence. In the week that Ineos reveals its Grenadier 4x4 (see left), Land Rover announces a new version of the recently launched Defender.

It’s the Hard Top and is the commercial version of the vehicle that will be available in both 90 and 110 wheelbases (three and five-door models in other words). It goes on sale later in the year with a towing capacity of 3,500kg.

Here’s yet another special edition Lotus sports car. This one is the Exige Sport 410 20th anniversary and it celebrates two decades of the Exige model which the Norfolk company launched in 2000.

The 20th birthday car is available in a range of retro colours that were available on the Mk1 and include Chrome Orange, Laser Blue and Calypso Red.

You get a specification that includes forged alloy wheels and Alcantara steering wheel.

Kia has expanded the options on its range of e-niro electric cars – starting with a lower capacity 39kwh battery which gives a range of up to 180 miles.

This new entry-level model is the ‘2’, and the ranges above it, both of which use a 64kwh battery and have a range of up to 282 miles, are the 3 and 4+. The latter comes with goodies such as a tilting sunroof but, more importantly, a 11kw three-phase AC charger. the road by fitting better heating systems, power steering, upgraded brakes and loads of other improvements.

This car, which Eagle calls the Lightweight GT, features aluminium bodywork, a 4.7-litre engine producing 380bhp and a sumptuous interior. There’s no mention of price but I should imagine that as 8,000 hours went into building it, lots of zeros will be involved.

This is an interesting development. Do you own an electric toothbrush that features inductive charging? That is, you put it on a pedestal that is plugged into the mains and simply take it off when you want to brush your teeth and then put it back again where it’s kept charged up.

Inductive charging for cars has been talked about since the start of the electric car revolution, but now some progress is being made. Jaguar is taking part in a project in Oslo by supplying a fleet of 25 i-paces that will work as taxis in the city and use a network of 5-75kw charging plates that will top up the cars’ batteries. The idea is that the vehicles will be charging at a rank while waiting.

I can see it working in Norway but not so well with our poorly planned and executed infrastructure.