Ariel

The new Ariel E-Nomad concept may not look quite as downright menacing and imposing as a Polaris RZR Pro R (or, for that matter, Ariel's own ICE Nomad), but it definitely throws down the gauntlet.

The Ariel "Hipercar" breaks from the electric supercar pack with a little performance-rounding innovation. Not only does it leverage a 4-motor drive for eyebrow-shearing performance, it packs a turbine range-extender for the flexibility of a gas car.

ESA has given the go-ahead for its Atmospheric Remote-sensing Infrared Exoplanet Large-survey (Ariel) mission to progress from the study phase to the implementation phase, with an industrial contractor to build the spacecraft to be chosen in mid-2021.

In 2015, the Ariel Nomad off-road buggy won our hearts. Now it's winning them again thanks to powertrain specialist BorgWarner, which has installed a high-voltage rear drive, making the Nomad a torque-vectoring adrenaline machine.

Pound for pound, price for performance, there has never been a crazier production sports car than the Ariel Atom – and the new Atom 4 takes things up a notch. With a 320-hp engine, and major revisions throughout the car, you can now get 2.8-seconds-to-60 mph performance for around US$53,000.

Ariel made a name for itself with the Atom, before expanding to create the rugged Nomad and two-wheeled Ace. Now, the Somerset-based team has turned its attention to electric power for what promises to be Ariel's maddest car yet – the HIPERCAR (HIgh PERformance CARbon Reduction).

Monterey Car Week is all about cars but the auctions have always tended to include an array of the best motorcycles. This year with the car market well down and many motorcycles sold with no reserve, bargains were plentiful.

Ariel has used the home turf of the NEC Motorcycle Live show​ to reveal plans to build 10 very special versions of the only motorcycle it produces. Powered by Honda's V4 engine of the VFR1200F, the Ace gets a posh R-variant with even more exclusive equipment and a copious power boost.

The MiTRE micro-turbine range-extender from British engineering solutions company Delta Motorsport is the latest product promising a solution to EV range anxiety that's lighter and more versatile than a piston engine hybrid drive.

In spite of the changes going on in the automotive world, our love for big rear wings has largely remained constant. But there is another avenue to downforce. Ground effects became a fixture of Formula 1 before they were banned in 1982. Now they're back, stuck to the bottom of the Ariel Aero-P.​​

Step inside the Sturgis Motorcycle Museum and Hall of Fame, and you’ll get a glimpse into a world where two-wheeled machines were far less complicated yet still advanced for their time.​

Bonhams Stafford Spring sale has been responsible for more sales of elite motorcycles than any other single sale anywhere in the world, rivaling even the combined January Las Vegas sales. Not surprisingly, there are a number of very rare and valuable motorcycles going under the hammer on April 26.