A lot of young motorsport enthusiasts wish that they could become race car drivers. But most haven&rsquo;t a clue how to go about it. You need a race car, to begin with, and a team of mechanics. Add to that the cost of transporting things to racetracks for the duration of an event, the entrance fee and the like and you realise it&rsquo;s expensive and a lot of hard work. But things are slowly becoming easier, with the one-make racing series that have cropped up in India.

Racing stripes

Business Standard

I have been using a Fiat Palio 1.2 since 2002 and now plan on replacing it with another hatchback with a budget of around Rs 5 lakh.

Ritzy business

Here's the ultimate automotive bucket list if money's not an issue

State of luxe

I want to purchase a car within a budget of Rs 5-7 lakh. I would like it to be fuel efficient and low on maintenance costs. I also want a car that looks good. I like the Hyundai i20, however, Iâ€™m willing to consider other cars as well, if you think they suit my needs.Shivam Bansal, via emailThe Hyundai i20 is a good car overall. It is nice to look at, especially after the facelift, so that takes care of your requirement of a car that looks good. The i20 is also spacious on the inside, while quality too is excellent. You could also consider the Volkswagen Polo. It is likely to get a more powerful TSI petrol motor soon. You can decide between these two.Sedan needI currently own a Maruti Suzuki Swift and want to upgrade to a petrol sedan within a budget of Rs 8-9 lakh. I will be using the car mainly for city driving â€” usually 700 km a month. I want a good looking car w

Small match

The Pantero marks the beginning of Mahindra 2Wheelersâ€™ second innings in the country, with regards to the cash-cow commuter motorcycle segment. The first motorcycle that Mahindra 2Wheelers launched was the Stallio but the response was far below the companyâ€™s expectations. Digging deep into its newly created R&D centre in Pune, the company nearly went back to the drawing board with the Stallio and came up with this, the Pantero.While the styling has largely remained the same, plastic quality has improved tremendously and now, unlike the Stallio, the Pantero gets surfaces with uniform texture. The paint quality too, is on par with the competition but some areas, like the panel gaps for instance, could have been better executed. That aside, the Pantero is nothing like the Stallio, thankfully. The engine is refined and the gearbox â€” once the Achilles heel of the Stallio â€” is slick and slots into the desired cog every single time. Selecting neutral, however, does need a

Comeback kid

Is the new Range Rover the best luxury SUV in the world?

Ring leader

I am looking for a small car within a budget of Rs 3.5 lakh. I have an average daily commute of 50 km per day, and my requirements are low maintenance and good mileage. I am currently considering the Hyundai Eon, Maruti Suzuki Alto 800 and Alto LXi. Any idea when the Suzuki Cervo will be launched in India? Please help me decide which car to buy.Balu Pandit, via emailThough both the Altos will be low on maintenance and give you good mileage, it is the Eon which is the better overall car. If your budget allows you to acquire the Eon, do go for it as it is a more complete car. It is stylish, the quality is very good inside-outside for the price it is asking, it is fuel efficient while maintenance costs are competitive too. The Eon is also more comfortable for passengers as well as the driver. In other words, for its price-tag, it is a no-compromise car.Premium needI would

Small star

The third edition of the Cartier Concours dâ€™Elegance showcased some prized Indian jewels

A vintage year

I currently own a Hyundai Santro Xing, which I have been driving for the last eight years. I am looking to upgrade now, and am considering the petrol versions of the Hyundai i20, Ford Figo, Volkswagen Polo and Skoda Fabia. My budget is around Rs  6.25 lakh. I would like the car to be fuel efficient, have good rear seat comfort, be easy to maintain and have pleasant interiors too. Which of these cars would suit my requirements best? And do any of them come with a CNG option, as that will work out very economical. Abhishek Ganeriwala, via emailGoing by your requirements of fuel efficiency, rear seat comfort and pleasant interiors, the Skoda Fabia fits the bill. The only issue with Skoda is with ease of maintenance â€” but the company is indeed trying to improve its after-sales service. The fail-safe option is the i20, which suits your needs very well, but it is not as efficient as the Fabia. Though the i20 is mildly more thirsty,

Fab choice

Two days at the first India Bike Week in Goa left Kyle Pereira thirsting for more

Week in the knees

I&rsquo;m looking for a sedan or SUV with good safety features, within a budget of around Rs 6 to 10 lakh. I don&rsquo;t like the lightweight Marutis and Hyundais, as I currently drive a Fiat Punto and it feels well planted, safe and heavy duty. Please recommend a car.

Heavyweight bout

It&rsquo;s been a long time coming, but it&rsquo;s finally here and it&rsquo;s going to be big! India Bike Week, India&rsquo;s first proper motorcycle festival, is just a week away, and unlike other motorcycle fests held in our country, it won&rsquo;t cater to only one specific motorcycle brand. It&rsquo;s a festival where bikes and all the fun they bring with them will be celebrated, in a very apt setting &mdash; Goa.

The Chevrolet Sail has something to boast of. It is the fastest growing of all the models that General Motors (GM) produces in China. Ever since its launch in the Middle Kingdom in January 2010, the Sail has been filling up GM&rsquo;s order books. It&rsquo;s not surprising why. The Sail family has been designed, engineered and developed by GM-SAIC&rsquo;s two joint ventures &mdash; GM Shanghai and PATAC, the Pan Asia Technical Automotive Centre.

You've got Sail

I am planning to buy a new petrol car for my use for driving in the city in the price range of Rs 8 to 9 lakh. Please let me know which car and variant I should buy for good driving comfort and affordable maintenance, too.

City lights

The current financial year has been quite tough for Tata Motors and its fortunes. Losing market share and market position, Tata Motors is desperately looking at alternatives, especially from its current stable of cars to stem the tide. And it has a whole bunch of variants lined up over the next year or two.

Fair and square

When you think of sporty hatches, one of the first cars to come to mind will undoubtedly be the Fiat Punto 90HP. But now, its former stable-mate, the Tata Indica Vista, wants in on that action.

Boost is the secret

I currently own a Mercedes-Benz C220 and am now looking for a car for my sister to drive. I have a budget of Rs 5 to Rs 15 lakh. The car must be stress free over a monthly commute of 600 km, while also providing good mileage and being comfortable to drive as well. I am contemplating either the Ford Figo or the Volkswagen Polo &mdash; please let me know which one to buy.

Comfortable commuter

There are plenty of individual Car of the Year awards out there, given out by pretty much every automotive magazine in the country, but what makes the Indian Car of the Year and Indian Motorcycle of the Year awards special is that a significant chunk of the motoring fraternity comes together, backed by JK Tyre, to decide the winners. The jury for ICOTY and IMOTY awards consists of senior journalists from India&rsquo;s leading auto magazines &mdash; Bob Rupani and Gautam Sen of Auto India, Vikrant Singh and Rahul Ghosh of Auto Bild, Aspi Bhathena of Car India and Bike India, Bertrand D&rsquo;souza and Shubhabrata Marmar of Overdrive, Girish Karkera and Sriram Narayanan of Top Gear India and BSM&rsquo;s very own Srinivas Krishnan, Pablo Chaterji and Rohin Nagrani. There were also a couple of additions to the jury this year &mdash; Dhruv Behl of Auto X and Muralidhar Swaminathan of The Hindu Business Line.

Clean sweep

F-Bomb

I am planning to exchange my Maruti 800, which I have owned for the last 10 years, for a new car. My budget ranges from Rs 6 to 8 lakh. I would prefer buying a diesel car that will give me good mileage, while keeping maintenance costs low as well.

Diesel demand

It is easily the most high-profile and spectacular vintage and classic car show held in the country, and deservedly attracts global attention as well. The third edition of the Cartier &lsquo;Travel With Style&rsquo; Concours d&rsquo;Elegance is all set to be held at the Taj Lands End in Mumbai on February 9 and 10, 2013. Previous editions of the event were held in Mumbai (2008) and in Delhi (2011), and going by the gorgeous metal that was presented at the shows, this event promises to be as good if not better than the earlier ones.

A Class Act

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