Each great motoring civilization has its national icon. For the Great British, that car is the original Mini Cooper.

American tourists are often intimidated by the prospect of driving the Autobahn for the first time. To avoid turning a joy ride into certain disaster, we've compiled some advice based on numerous trips that have taken us from scared shitless to confident and capable.

We know what you’re thinking: Isn’t the Smart ForTwo already a glorified golf cart, and won’t adding an electric motor only reinforce that assumption? Find out as we take a first drive in the 2011 Smart ForTwo Electric Drive.

Forget the vineyards. We know of a better way to spend a day in Sonoma. Like driving Audi R8s at Infineon Raceway at the Audi Sportscar Experience.

In a world where exclusivity is getting harder to buy, the BMW Alpina B7 is a standout. Just don't call it a tuner car.

When Audi bought Lamborghini in 1998, it set to work correcting a couple decades worth of wrongs. The one car that combined the best of the old Lambos with a bit of solid German engineering was the Diablo VT 6.0 SE. It also happens to be one of the rarest.

The Cayenne V6 is Porsche's best selling model in the US. For 2011 It gets a more powerful V6 to go with its sexier new skin.

I spent my summer road trips in the back seat of Dad's old vinyl-clad coupes. If only we'd had something like the updated-for-2011 Mercedes-Benz R-Class, those miles would have passed more pleasantly.