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James May picks 13 most significant cars ever for London Classic Car Show

James May tends to be the most pragmatic of the Top Gear UK hosting crew. Jeremy Clarkson obviously likes his vehicles loud, brash and preferably British, and Richard Hammond seems to have a thing for American muscle. May appears to find joy just in the mechanical nature of things, whether high performance or simply made for getting around. He's getting a chance to put that appreciation on display by curating a 13-car collection at the London Classic Car Show called The Cars That Changed The World. May actually wants to provoke debate from visitors about the exhibit and is separating his choices into two categories: The Halls of Obviousness and The Chambers of Bloody-mindedness. The first bunch includes the usual important vehicles you expect to see, but the other group has the really interesting picks. As May explains these selections in the event announcement, "I believe they are just as significant historically but they've simply been forgotten or misunderstood." The obvious choices are: 1886 Benz Motorwagen 1908 Ford Model T 1938 Volkswagen Beetle 1959 Austin Mini 1964 Ford Mustang 1997 Toyota Prius And the more eccentric ones are: 1901 Waverley Electric 1906 Cadillac Model K 1933 Standard Superior 1972 Honda Civic 1980 Lada Riva 2009 Bruno ExoMars Rover If you notice, there are only 12 vehicles listed above. That's because the final one is being kept secret for show attendees, but May considers it the most significant car ever made. The London Classic Car Show runs at the ExCeL in London's Docklands from January 8-11, 2015. In addition to May's exhibit and the other vehicles there, Formula 1 designer Adrian Newey is also curating a display from his own collection. May is hoping to spur conversations with his choices. Let us know in Comments if you notice any glaring omissions that should be among the 13. Read the full announcement below, along with a brief explanation for each choice from May. GET READY FOR A CLASSIC ARGUMENT 30/12/14 James May has chosen the 13 most significant cars of all time for The London Classic Car Show... but is he right? It's bold, controversial and bound to cause arguments... and that's just the way BBC Top Gear's James May wants it. May has stuck his neck on the line and has chosen what he regards are the 13 most influential cars of all time. The result is The Cars That Changed The World and it's one of the star exhibits at the London Classic Car Show taking place at ExCeL in London's Docklands from 8-11 January 2015.

Carfection looks for the ultimate pocket rocket

If there's one thing we love, it's a good showdown. Especially when it's on video, done by some Englishmen, and involving some manner of performance machinery. Like this latest clip, for example, from Carfection. The team formerly known as Xcar have assembled three very compelling supermini hot hatches: two we can get on our side of the pond, and one we can't. One American, one Frenchman, and one Brit. One cheap, one expensive, and one somewhere in between. They all pack turbo fours, of course, but placed in entirely different packages. There's the evergreen favorite Ford Fiesta ST, the Renault Clio RS 220 Trophy that should have the rest licked, and the retro rocket that is the Mini JCW. And there's only one way to find out which is the best. It's a tough contest, to be sure, but lest you think it all comes down to specifications or which one's the newest, you'll want to think again. Because when it comes to hot hatches, all the electronic gizmos and power boosts in the world can't show up a perfectly dialed-in chassis that lets you hug the curves and feel like you're going a lot faster than you actually are. But don't take our word for it – see what our British friends have to say about it in the Queen's English in the seventeen-minute clip above. Related Video:

Ford Shelby GT350R, GT successor, F-150 Raptor and more rumored for Detroit debut

According to a pair of reports from Hearst's car mags, Car and Driver and Road & Track, Ford has a whole mess of good stuff on deck for the Detroit Auto Show in January. And it all sounds awesome. First, expect to see a hotter version of the Shelby GT350 in Detroit, likely called GT350R. Think of this as the already-hot Shelby with even more track-focused bits baked in – brakes, tires, aero, etc. Everything about the GT350 sounds great, so expect this R variant to be something seriously fierce. As R&T suggests, if the GT350 is the company's new Boss 302, the R is the Laguna Seca. But that's not even close to the biggest news. Road & Track believes a proper Ford GT replacement will debut in Detroit – a road-going version of the Le Mans GTE-class car the Blue Oval is working on for 2016. We've heard about this before, but having the street-legal car debut in Detroit would be absolutely huge news. The performance story continues, though, with R&T suggesting that the next-gen Ford F-150 Raptor will bow in Detroit. Details are scarce about what, exactly, the aluminum-bodied desert stormer will hold, but we expect good things. Finally, Ford's hot hatches might make some news in the Motor City, too. Car and Driver seems to think the all-wheel-drive Focus RS will bow in The D, and that an updated version of the Fiesta ST will also show its face. Road & Track, meanwhile, believes the Focus RS showing will be saved for a European auto show – think Geneva – and our gut feeling is to agree with the R&T theory. All of these rumors point to Ford officially announcing its dedicated performance division – like Mercedes-AMG, BMW M, and so on. We've heard reports of a new, global performance brand from the company already, with the name 999 thrown out as a possibility. In any case, if these rumblings prove to be true, there's going to be a ton to drool over from Ford in January. Stay tuned.