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New Bristol sports car will be called the Bullet

One of the great names in British carmaking history, Bristol, is coming back with a new sports car. It was first seen all camouflaged up at the Goodwood Festival of Speed just weeks ago, and now Bristol has announced the name the upcoming car will bear – Bullet. The concept name is Project Pinnacle, and to propel the vehicle, Bristol has chosen a 4.8-liter BMW V8. Power figures have not yet been revealed, but it is likely those will be disclosed at the car's official unveiling at the end of this month. It's been five years since Bristol last produced a car, the Fighter, which ceased to be in 2011. There never were that many Fighters produced – sources say only 13 cars made it off the production line. There were also plans to build a turbocharged version of the Fighter, but that never materialized; however, as the BMW V8 in the upcoming Bullet is a naturally aspirated unit, Bristol has said it will be the last non-turbo engine in a Bristol. The use of a BMW engine also neatly ties in with the first Bristol made, as the 1947 Bristol 400 used a BMW 328 powerplant. Some earlier Bristols have been crafted from aluminum, and the Bullet will be a step in a new direction, as the chassis is going to be carbon fiber. The carmaker told Autocar that the Bullet will be made available during the first quarter of next year. Related Video: News Source: AutocarImage Credit: Bristol Cars Plants/Manufacturing BMW Convertible

Are you a BMW M4 GTS track car in disguise?

BMW is always happy to extract a little bit more gumption out of its M cars, just look at the latest 30th anniversary M5 or even the earlier CSL variants of the M3 for proof. Now, It looks like we might be getting the first glimpse of an even hotter M4, and it's wearing very interesting livery.
Our spies recently shot this M4 that could preview a future GTS version. It's all done up in MotoGP decals, but that might just be a ruse. This car sports a camouflaged lower air dam and rear wing, but those parts don't appear to be from an actual series safety car. The chin spoiler seems larger, and the rear wing is completely different. You can also spot an obvious Recaro logo on the driver's seat in one of the photos. Plus, the BMW emblem is removed at the back.
The disguised changes and odd choice of decals make this prototype incredibly weird. A BMW exec said at the beginning of the year that there were "no plans whatsoever to make a lighter, harder version just yet," of the M3 or M4, despite earlier rumors to the contrary. Check out the gallery to see what you think this is.

Are future vehicular hacks inevitable?

Before the hack of the Uconnect system in a Jeep Cherokee resulted in a 1.4-million vehicle recall, the potential software vulnerabilities in vehicles were already a hot topic with Congressional inquiries and even proposed legislation in the US. As cars' interconnected systems gain the ability to go online, they become open to a host of new threats. Automakers are trying to stop this, but it might be too late to put the genie back into the bottle. Throughout 2015, the issue of software security in vehicles has become increasingly vital. For example, the recent Jeep case wasn't even the biggest hack this year. In February, a major flaw was discovered in the BMW Connected Drive service that allowed researchers to remotely lock and unlock the doors and potentially affected 2.2 million cars. The fix was an over-the-air patch for the problem. Automakers are actively working to fix the issues. Mercedes-Benz, BMW, and Audi reportedly are using encrypted connections and firewalls in their vehicles to prevent hacking. "Absolute, 100-percent safety isn't possible," Daimler spokesperson Benjamin Oberkersch said to Automotive News Europe. "But we develop our systems, tested by internal and external experts, so they're up to date." These vulnerabilities seem to be popping up more often. A successful hack took $14 in parts from Radio Shack in one case. There was also a 60 Minutes report earlier in the year about DARPA's ability to hack into OnStar to take control of a Chevrolet Impala. Experts aren't so sure companies can contend with hackers' advancement. "The difficulty for the carmakers at the moment is the question whether they can keep pace with advances in technology, and especially hacking technology," Rainer Scholz, executive director for telematics consultant EY, said to Automotive News Europe. "We seriously doubt they can." At this point, vehicle hacks are coming more from researchers looking for holes than from those with malicious intent. Still, the vulnerabilities are definitely there. It's up to automakers to keep patching the problems before they become dangerous to drivers. Related Video: News Source: Automotive News Europe - sub. req.Image Credit: Bill O'Leary / The Washington Post via Getty Images Audi BMW Jeep Mercedes-Benz Safety Technology Emerging Technologies hacking cyber security