Here is the Motoring Journo Daily News Summary for the 23rd of December 2011, a rundown of all the interesting things that have happened in the last 24 hours – with the waffle removed. Ford is offering to make it a greener Christmas with a concept sleigh that would dramatically downsize Santa’s carbon footprint. Santa’s new ride, packed with cutting-edge Ford technology, would allow Rudolph and friends to enjoy a…

I’ve searched for this video for years after watching it on TV back in the day. Now, thanks to CAR magazine, I’ve found it. Walter Rohrl doesn’t just peddle mildly-desirable leather jackets; no, Walter is a driving God with more talent in his feet than I have in my whole body – literally. The car control in this video is a whole new level of awesome and is the reason…

What a year 2011 has been with electric vehicles dominating the news; if you haven’t got an EV in your line-up then you are persona non grata with the motoring public. Apparently. BMW unveiled their remarkable i3 and i8 all-electric cars, promising a fresh look at the possibilities that electric power provides – unlike hybrid vehicles, which still abound, despite their compromised environmental credentials. All-electric cars are, then, finding their…

Continuing our weekly Wednesday ritual, we spent yesterday at Brightwells classic car auction in Leominster. No automobilia this time, which meant that any mistakes would be more costly and with more serious domestic consequences… We went with half an eye on a rare Lancia Beta Spyder in dark blue. The photos in the catalogue looked superb – and how often do you get a chance to buy one? The estimate…

Invitations to drive new cars are part and parcel of a motoring journalist’s life and I have to confess to a weakness for one-marque days, when a manufacturer invites you to drive their range over a period of a few hours. There is something honest and open about exposing an entire model range to back-to-back scrutiny that signals strong confidence in the product. Such an invitation came from Renault recently,…