Autoblog UK

Clearly worried that the assembled metal would fail to wet the public's insatiable appetite for glamour, the world's automotive manufacturers had the foresight to pay hundreds of attractive young women to linger in the Cobo Arena and greet the hoards with a welcoming smile.

Fortunately, the days of scantily-clad girls reclining on the bonnet of the latest Lamborghini are long gone; today's showgirl is more likely to be cloaked in a ballgown than a bikini.

Check out our gallery of lovelies below...

Lotus has launched the track-fettled version of its hardtop Evora with the announcement that the car will be racing in an all-Lotus showdown at the end of this season. It will then get its own race series in 2011.

The Evora has made its public debut at the Autosport International racing car show in Birmingham and will be heading to the first of its customers in the late spring.

The Evora Cup race car has been designed to compete in GT4 racing and is powered by a hefty 4.0-litre V6 engine with more than 400bhp. In addition to this huge engine, Lotus Motorsport has pared 200kg off the Evora, which weighs less than 1200kg. They have managed this by taking out all the unnecessary stuff from the road car, like the stereo and heater presumably.

Teams will be able to buy the Evora Cup for around £120,000, and will able to use them in their own competitions. Lotus Motorsport will award points to all the Evora Cups that compete, with appearing at a race meeting scoring five points, and further points being given for finishing in the top five.

Two end-of-season showdowns will take place at Donington Park and Vallelunga in Italy to determine the most successful Evora Cup of the season.

The range-topping 1 Series 135i will get BMW's new TwinPower turbo engine this year, replacing the current twin-turbo unit.

It's the same single-turbo straight-six unit already seen in the 5 Series GT, but there'll be no extra grunt for the quickest 1 Series; the new engine outputs the same 302bhp and 295lb ft torque.

However, with BMW's plans to produce a 1 Series 'M' car, it will mean more room for manoeuvre on the potential M's power, by keeping the 135i around the 300bhp mark.

As well as the new engine, the 135i can also be specified with BMW's new 7-speed DCT twin-clutch transmission

As the dust settles on Detroit, we recap the best cars and concepts from America's biggest auto show.

Click on the gallery below to see all the pictures...

Kimi Raikkonen has had his first test in the Citroen Junior Team C4 WRC car this week that he will be driving during the 2010 FIA World Rally Championship.

The test took place on a private gravel track near the team's Satory workshops where Raikkonen covered 50km in the car. The new Rally season is only a few weeks away with the first stage taking place in Sweden on 12 Feburary.

"I very much enjoyed meeting the team properly for the first time," said Raikkonen. "It was good to try out a few different things; I was very interested to see how the car reacted when you changed some of the settings. Now, I'm really keen to get back behind the wheel of the C4 again!"

Raikkonen's first outing in the Citroen C4 WRC will be when he competes in the Arctic Lapland Rally on 28 January.

Tuning company Gemballa, famous for modifying Porsches, has created a limited edition of the Ferrari Enzo called the Gembella MIG-U1 that offers 691bhp, an increase over the standard car's 650bhp.

This is the first time the Germany-based company has turned its attentions to anything other than Porsches.

Gemballa has focussed heavily on the aerodynamics of the MIG-U1. Newly designed front and rear spoilers account for 35 and 85 kilos of extra downforce respectively, with the rear one automatically lowering itself when the car reaches 74.5mph.

Other gizmos include a hydraulic system to raise and lower the front of the car by 45mm to navigate obstacles without damaging the bodywork.

The MIG-U1 doesn't look as radically different from the original car as some of Gemballa's other creations do, but it does boast a brand new interior featuring custom-made steering wheel, control centre and seats.

But if you are hankering after a truly in-your-face version, we reckon the 'Shock Green' option would be the best bet. You'd need to be quick though, as the MIG-U1 Enzo is limited to a run of just 25 cars.

The Nissan 370Z Roadster will cost from £29,900 when it goes on sale in March.

All versions will feature the same 3.7-litre V6 engine found in the Coupe, developing 324bhp. Nissan says the Roadster has been designed individually from the Coupe, which means performance isn't compromised by the extra weight of the folding roof.

The Roadster line-up will include two trim variants; standard and GT Pack, which will be available with a choice of six-speed manual or seven-speed automatic transmissions.

Standard models will feature 18-inch alloy wheels, electrically-adjustable seats, an engine start/stop button, Bluetooth connectivity with steering-wheel mounted controls and Bi Xenon headlamps as standard, whilst GT pack models add black suede and leather seats, an 8-speaker BOSE audio system, 19-inch forged alloy wheels and cruise control.

Topping the Roadster range is the GT Pack with sat nav which starts from £36,150.

Nissan has also increased the price of its 2010 370Z Coupe range by £500 meaning the base model now starts from £28,000.

When it isn't running ill-fated F1 teams and producing efficient diesels, Renault does a good job of making desirable and quick hot hatches.

Now the Renault Clio S joins the Clio Renaultsport 200, the Renaultsport Cup and the Clio GT as its newest 'sporty' variant. But while the other sport-orientated Clio's offer increased performance, the Clio S is only cosmetically-enhanced.

Only available in a three door, the Clio S has 16-inch, white alloy wheels, a white 'GT' rear spoiler, tinted rear windows and an optional white racing stripe down the side. 'S' embossed upholstery and a leather steering wheel complete the package on the inside.

The Clio S comes with the choice of unmodified engines from the standard Clio range – a 75bhp or a 100bhp 1.2-litre petrol or an 86bhp 1.5bhp diesel. This means insurance, at group 3 or 4 should be affordable for younger drivers at which Renault is aiming the Clio S.

If, like us, you're not quite sure about the Cadillac CTS-V coupe, then this video might just make you want one.

We'd want one with the same sound track in the background and slow motion at appropriate power-sliding moments too.

Believe it or not this is the very video Cadillac used to greet a room full of journalists waiting to be introduced to the CTS-V Coupe at the Detroit motor show. Check it out for yourself.

Renault has unveiled its lowest CO2-emitting production car in the shape of the new 1.5-litre Clio dCI 86 Renault Eco.

The French manufacturer insists the Clio Eco is capable of 76mpg and emits just 98g/km CO2. That figure means there'll be no road tax to pay when the car makes it to the UK later in the year.

The 17g/km reduction over the current 1.5dCI engine has been achieved through a number of improvements to the Clio's aerodynamics, powertrain and tyres.

The Eco's five-speed manual gearbox gets longer ratios than the standard car, and the 86bhp dCI has been remapped to return greater economy. Renault claims the modifications have no significant effect on performance, and mean the Clio has a theoretical range of 923 miles.

The car made its debut at today's Brussels motor show. A new 1.2 TCe 100 petrol engine has also been introduced with CO2 emissions of 129g/km.