Video: 2008 Essen Motorshow Babes

If you happen to disagree with those who support that the foremost subject at the Essen Motorshow in Germany, which runs from November 28 to December 7, 2008, are the various tuning proposals, racing cars and concept studies, then you might just like the video that we added after the jump... Need we say more?

Lotus Carlton Voted by Favorite Vauxhall of all time

The 1989 Lotus Carlton sports sedan has been voted the UK's favorite Vauxhall in a poll of 630 owners ran by Opel's British sister-company, Vauxhall. The results, which also included votes for the favorite Vauxhall from the last five years, were gathered over a single month and put the Lotus Carlton in first place ahead of the Calibra coupe and Cavalier. The Lotus Carlton, also known outside the U.K. as the Lotus Omega, was virtually a Vauxhall Carlton (Opel Omega) on steroids that had been developed in collaboration with Lotus which then belonged to GM. When it was launched in 1989, the Lotus Carlton was officially the fastest four-door production car in the world.

The heavily modified Calrton was fitted with an upgraded straight-six engine, which was stroked from the standard Vauxhall 3.0-liter unit used in the GSi, to a capacity of 3.6-liters. Lotus then added twin Garrett T25 turbochargers boosting output to 377HP. Power was driven to the rear-wheels through a 6-speed manual ZF transmission borrowed from the Chevrolet Corvette ZR1. The Lotus Carlton was capable of accelerating from standstill to 62 mph (100 km/h) in a mere 5.4 seconds and had a top speed of 176 mph or 283 km/h.

Running second overall to the Lotus Carlton as favorite Vauxhall of all-time was the Calibra coupe that stood out from the competition thanks to its sharp looks and its class-leading Cd figure of just 0.26. Based on the British equivalent of the first-generation Opel Vectra, the Cavallier, the Calibra made its world debut at the Frankfurt Show in 1989. Four-wheel drive and turbocharging enhanced the Calibra's range in later years, with a total of 40,000-plus cars being sold in its six-year production run.

Vauxhall owners also voted on their favorite model from the last five years. Unsurprisingly, the car with the most votes was the current VXR8's predecessor, the Monaro (based on the homonumous Holden coupe), which entered UK showrooms in 2004.

Ford Focus RS to make Driving Debut at Rally GB with Marcus Grönholm Behind the Wheel

The much-anticipated production version of the new Ford Focus RS will make its driving premiere at the Wales Rally GB that runs December 4-7. Behind the wheel of Ford's fastest-ever European production car will be 'Flying Finn' Marcus Grönholm. , Even though he won't be in competition, the former double World Rally Champion and ex-Ford WRC driver will give spectators at Cardiff's Millennium Stadium a taste of the road-going Focus RS's capabilities. The new flagship Focus model which goes on sale early in Spring next year, is powered by a turbocharged Duratec 2.5-litre, five-cylinder engine producing 305HP and 440Nm peak torque.

Combined with a six-speed manual transmission, the front-wheel-drive Focus RS accelerates from standstill to 100km/h in 5.9 sec and achieves a maximum speed of 263 km/h or 164mph. Ford supports that that the combination of Quaife Automatic Torque Biasing limited-slip differential and a new RevoKnuckle front-suspension system allows a class-leading balance of traction, handling and performance to be derived from front- as opposed to all-wheel drive, with consequent power-to-weight advantages.

The Cardiff stage of Wales Rally GB, the last round of the FIA World Rally Championship, takes place on 6 December.