New York! New York!

PITSTOP/ Three special cars that were unveiled at the recently held NY Auto Show

Compared to the outgoing Discovery, which was based on a platform almost 60 years old, the new one almost looks like a concept. The new Land Rover Discovery 3 (LR3 for the North American market) sits on a longer wheelbase and comes with radical new features including electronic air suspension, an intelligent-shift six-speed auto'box and the new Terrain Response system.

With this new feature, the driver can select one of five terrain settings through a rotary switch and the Disco does the rest. Power comes from a 300 bhp 4400cc V8 sourced from Jaguar but tuned for off-road requirements.

Buick Velite concept
Buick, bought by doddering folks in the US, is looking eastwards for staying alive. Their ravishing new concept is named after an elite class of quick soldiers in Napoleon's army.

The Velite, based on General Motor's all-new rear-wheel driven 'Zeta' platform (remember the Opel Insignia from Frankfurt last year?), has been put together at Stile Bertone.

Buick heritage cues, as expected, abound in the form of the waterfall grille, the boat-tail, and of course, those ventiports on the front flanks. Power for the Velite comes from an experimental twin-turbo 400 bhp 3600cc V6.

Horses for courses
Go ahead, take that Ford Mustang GT-R to the track and give it the treatment. It's meant for that. Over 85 per cent of the GT-R's components are stock, but stiffened, while the 5000cc 'Cammer' crate engine can be tuned for over 500 horses.

It's been painted Valencia Orange to evoke one of Ford's Trans Am race cars, and those rear-quarter windows have been blocked to allow for a special fuel delivery system.

And do notice the tailpipes that emerge from the front of the rear wheels. Carbon fibre trim and an F1-style steering wheel have been incorporated inside. What are you waiting for?