Fast Lane: Lotus Elise reborn as rally car, MG Cyber X at Auto Shanghai, Audi A6’s brake-by-wire tech (2025)

Lotus Elise gets a rugged makeover

British car design and engineering start-up Get Lost has transformed the iconic Lotus Elise sports car into an off-roader with all-terrain tyres, revised suspension and a rally car-style hydraulic handbrake.

Known as Project Safari, the radically redesigned car sports a custom roof scoop and rectangular LED headlights. The spare tyre is mounted on the rear deck, just after the engine compartment.

The independent creation is by London-based photographer George Williams and is available for orders through Get Lost.

Auto Shanghai opens on April 23

Biennial motor show Auto Shanghai will open on April 23. Among the cars that will be unveiled at the event is the MG Cyber X, a boxy electric sport utility vehicle. Teaser images of the car appeared on Chinese social media over the past week.

Little is known about the car, although the name suggests that it will be positioned as a halo model like the Cyberster, an electric two-seat convertible. The Chinese-owned MG brand is on the march to grow in 2025. Besides showcasing expressive designs like the Cyber X, MG is rolling out its IM sub-brand, which will launch in Singapore as well.

The 2023 edition of the motor show saw more than 1,000 exhibitors, including 93 international debuts.

New Audi A6 with brake-by-wire tech

Audi has unveiled its latest A6 saloon, which the German brand says is the most slippery internal combustion engine model to be produced, boasting a drag coefficient of 0.23.

Three engine options were announced at the launch – a 2-litre petrol non-hybrid with 201hp; a similarly powerful 2-litre diesel mild hybrid; and a 3-litre petrol with 362hp with hybrid assistance. The diesel is not an option for Singapore, given that no new diesel car registrations have been allowed here since Jan 1.

For the first time in the model’s history, the Audi A6 will have brake-by-wire technology, in which the foot pedal and the hydraulics are decoupled. The system claims an ability to be twice as fast as a conventional brake set-up.

Audi has form when it comes to aerodynamic efficiency. In 1983, the 100 – the predecessor to the modern A6 – was the world’s most aerodynamic production car with a drag coefficient of 0.30.

Classic Moke goes electric

The Moke, an open-air vehicle with roots in the early 1960s, has gone electric. The owner of the rights to the vehicle, Moke International, has opened a new factory in the United Kingdom to build the Electric Moke, pitched as a “must-have luxury beach accessory”.

The four-seater weighs less than 800kg. It is powered by a 33kW motor on the rear axle and carries a 10.5kW lithium-ion battery that gives an operating range of 88km.

Upside-down McMurtry Speirling

The McMurtry Speirling is the first car in the world to manage being driven upside down. Using the British carmaker’s proprietary fan system, the electric single-seater was able to create enough vacuum to suck itself to the floor of the specially built rotating rig for the demonstration.

Once fully inverted, the driver drove forward unsupported. The suction technology is intended to give the car incredible traction and the company claims that the car can corner at more than three times the force of gravity or 3G. Typical road cars rarely breach 1G, while Formula One race cars can put the drivers through as much as 5G in the corners.

Other Speirling statistics are just as extraordinary. The two electric motors driving the rear wheels have a combined output of 745kW. It takes around 1.5 seconds to get from 0-100kmh and the car has a top speed of 298kmh.

While the car used for the demonstration was a prototype, McMurtry Automotive is expected to deliver actual production cars in 2026. The finished product will feature some upgrades over the prototype, including a 100kWh-capacity battery pack that will enable the hypercar to consistently deliver peak performance for prolonged periods on track. Production is capped at 100 units.

Watch the video of the Speirling being driven upside down at str.sg/GDmv

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