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As we mentioned last week, we are excited to announce the launch of the Hear it, See it, Win it Competition, with the grand prize - a Ferrari vs Lamborghini Driving Experience Day.

From today to 22 December, we’ll post either an audio clip of an engine revving or a photo of a small detail of a car each week. To enter, identify the make and model of the car, then send us your answer, name, and email address. It's as simple as that!

Each week, entrants submitting the correct answer will be put into a draw to win an 18” x 12” supercar print from Feature Automotive photographer Dean Smith.

Then at the end of the 10 weeks, we will draw from all the correct entries we received, the winner of the grand prize, the Ferrari vs Lamborghini driving day. Just remember: you get entered into the grand prize draw each week you submit the correct answer, so if you get the answers right every week, you’ll be entered to win the grand prize 10 times!

ENTER NOW with our first question, and good luck.

(The competition is now closed).

If you tested your skills last week with our "just for fun" question, the answer is:

So good luck this week!

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So, the deal is, none of the tunes on the list are allowed to appear on driving compilations on Amazon. Initially, I thought this would be pretty easy. Just avoid a few obvious examples like ZZ Top, Deep Purple and AC/DC, and I should be sweet, right? Not so, it would appear.

I was pleasantly surprised to find a diverse selection on the Top Gear compilations (much respect for such choices as Lamb, Aphex Twin and Kings of Leon - very nice indeed). So the challenge was suddenly seemed a little trickier.

If you’re on spotify, and you’d like to access the Alternative Driving Anthems playlist, just click here

So, enough preamble - on with the list...

She Sells Sanctuary – The Cult

Even if you don’t recognise the name, I’d be surprised if you haven’t heard this tune. Hailing from the slightly indefinable era of post-punk, big hair and make-up, it’s a kind of synth-pop/rock combo, and a sing-along one at that. Windows down... “And the world... The world turns around...”

Just Got To Be – The Black Keys

Some great bluesy guitar sounds in this song – not too dissimilar to Free (Think ‘Alright Now’ with a bit more thrash). Not quite as fast as the rest on the list, it’s a good one for pulling out the driveway and getting us on our way.

Burn the Witch – Queens of the Stone Age

From the album Lullabies to Paralyse, Burn the Witch opens with almost-subliminal satanic whispering. It’s a promising start to a slightly-psychedelic, strongly-rhythmic and riff-laden rock tune. As if it needed any more eligibility for inclusion, the song includes a cameo on guitar from a member of the ultimate driving rock band, Billy Gibbons of ZZ Top.

Hold MY Hand - UNKLE

Originally starting off as a trip-hop band, Unkle have since picked up guitars and a drum kit, successfully crossing the line between dance and rock. Strong electronic elements and an understated vocal performance make this one a real gem. Play it cool with your friends when you introduce them to this underground number.

The Hand That Feeds – Nine Inch Nails

One of the hardest-working and genre-defying men in music, Trent Reznor goes all out on this number. It’s fast paced and frantic. And it’s dark – like the best Nine Inch Nails tunes are – and builds up to a full-on crescendo. Be careful your foot doesn’t get too heavy!

The Dead Weather - Treat Me Like Your Mother

Don’t ask me how Jack White (also of the White Stripes and The Raconteurs) has time to be in 3 rock bands, but he certainly cranks out the tunes. Playing drums on this one, he’s joined by the lead singer of The Kills, the guitar player from Queens of the Stone Age, and the bassist from The Raconteurs. With those sorts of credentials, it was likely they’d produce a reasonable tune – and they did.

Leopard-Skin Pill-Box-Hat – Beck

Another tricky artist to pin a label on, Beck’s own brand of folk-rock-electronic-type-stuff has earned him a wide following. For the charity compilation ‘War Heroes’, fifteen musical icons were asked to select one of their favourite songs from their own back catalogue. They then had to select a modern-day artist to do a cover of the track in question. Bob Dylan chose Beck to perform ‘Leopard-Skin Pill-Box-Hat’. Good choice Bob!

(If you fancy buying the album, not only will your car stereo thank you, but you’ll be putting money to a worthy cause - http://www.warchild.org.uk/heroes )

Hair of The Dog - Nazareth

1970s rock from Scotland - this one is probably best heard on its original format – 12” vinyl. However, whether it’s CD or mp3 is (in my humble opinion), this song’s a massive oversight on behalf of the regular compilation producers. If you haven’t heard it before, you’ll wonder why. Who would hide such a thing from you? Not us.

She Builds Quick Machines - The Velvet Revolver

A super-group, akin to The Dead Weather, The Velvet Revolver contains artists from Guns’n’Roses, Wasted Youth and Stone Temple Pilots. Unlike many supergroups, these guys live up to the hype. They lay down a rocking blend of buzzing guitars, tight drumming, and edgy vocals. Put more simply, this tune rocks.

(The volume on this video is a bit low – you might want to turn it up)

Ashes To Ashes – Faith No More

For some reason, Ashes to Ashes never gained the same coverage as Faith No More’s biggest hit, Midlife Crisis. Ashes To Ashes with it’s almost-spoken vocals, and rising atmosphere, is a real builder. The verses hold plenty back for the chorus to come crashing in and hit those stadium-rock moments. Nice.

(Remember to turn the volume down if you turned it up for the last tune)

It’s been another busy week at Make and Model! Our amazing competition launched, so if you haven’t already, please feel free to enter, you could win an incredible Lamborghini verses Ferrari Driving Day. We’ll be doing an interview with the eventual winner and the day will be photographed and put on the Make and Model website.

As well as the main prize, you could win an 18” x 12” supercar print from Feature Automotive photographer Dean Smith. We are offering a different one every week! To find out more check out the Hear It, See It, Win It blog post.

Speaking of Ferrari, we were lucky enough to be invited to Ferrari HQ in Maranello for a tour and test drive, check out part one of Eddy Thor’s adventure.

With autumn now in full swing our freelance writer John Slavin has been given a set of Continental tyres for his car – will they survive the winter?

If you're dealership and you like to get your stock added to the site, (it's free for the rest of 2010!) drop us a line at trade@makeandmodel.co.uk

Finally, someone sent me this video earlier in the week and I thought I definitely needed to share it with you:

In fact, during the snowy period, there was a 12 mile stretch of very twisty road I had to use daily which went unsalted for over 2 weeks. It brings home the fact that driving in winter can be very, very dangerous, no matter what car you drive.

So what can the average road user do to stay safe? Well tyre manufacturers make rubber specifically for the colder months, and in temperatures under 7c they are said to provide better traction and braking than ‘normal’ tyres, as well as offering a tread pattern more suited to dispersing water, slush and snow. As a matter of fact, some EU countries have made winter tyres a legal requirement, such is the benefit they provide.

So today, courtesy of Continental UK, I had a set of 4 WinterContact TS800 tyres wrapped around the wheels of my humble Citroen Saxo VTR (185/55 R14). The staff at North Road Kwik-Fit, Darlington, were courteous enough to fit me in without an appointment to have the tyres fitted.

So far I have covered very little distance with the tyres, but traction is good out of junctions, despite a damp road surface. It’s not really cold enough to provide a clear indication of their winter performance just yet, but once the weather starts to worsen you can expect regular updates on how the tyres are performing, so stay tuned!

The noise was very distinctive yet recognisable. I craned my neck, and pressed up against the window to view the inevitable. There was a brief flash of yellow and then the trademark Enzo-esque rear. The Ferrari 458 Italia hummed loudly past at about 3000 rpm. You could sense the excitement on our bus from the other passengers. And no, I wasn’t on the usual 170 from Battersea to Victoria Station that Tuesday morning. We were on our way to more hallowed territory that day – Ferrari’s corporate headquarters and primary production facility in Maranello, Italy. My musings some months ago on this forum, with regards to Ferrari’s fabulous California, had given me the opportunity (courtesy of Maranello Egham) to visit the place where it had all started for this iconic company 80 years ago.

The group was eclectic, made up of owners and dealers covering all corners of the UK – united in their shared passion for this coveted marque. Our hotel, the Maranello Palace, was perfectly located and it was certainly the first time I had been excited by having a room and balcony overlooking a factory on an industrial park. Once settled in at the hotel, we were whisked off for a quick tour of automaker’s museum, Galleria Ferrari – where we were reminded of Ferrari’s heritage in not only production cars, but its success and dominance in motor racing throughout the years. The countless racing cars on display were complemented by numerous road-going one-offs including the Enzo, the F40 and 288 GTO. These masterpieces provided great eye-candy but I could sense that the group were growing restless; there were owners and enthusiasts here and the opportunity to view the production line in action was palpable.

As we were shuttled deeper into Ferrari’s nerve centre the double-takes in our group were reaching fever pitch. Brand new 458s here, 599 GTOs there, everywhere you looked there was well in excess of £200,000 worth of motoring scattered around the side streets that intersected each factory building. As we pulled up outside our first stop, the entrance to the building opened and 4 men in suits strode out towards our group. A welcoming party of executives we presumed – nice touch. Among them none other than revered Ferrari Chairman - Luca de Montezemelo! Just as everyone mentally prepared themselves to bow down before one of the most influential men in global automobile production and motorsport, he walked straight past our bus and into a waiting car. We then realised that our chances of meeting the big man were as likely as Michael Schumacher serving me a cappuccino at breakfast the next day in our hotel. One member of our group had us all gawping when describing the Chairman’s commute to his villa in the surrounding hills – he allegedly drives a matte-black 612 Scagletti, with no number plates, and is accompanied by two police motorcycle outriders. Apparently speed limits don’t apply!

The factories were breathtaking with futuristic levels of modern technology and robotics assembling the minutest components within the engine blocks. Dotted among the various production lines were internal patches of green where vegetation sprung up from the floor – the internal gardens helped to create a softer, eco-friendly image set against the backdrop of heavy machinery and automobile manufacture. Ferrari was keen to stress its ecological credentials and informed us that their entire factory operation was self-powered. The final stage of the production process our group witnessed was within V8 plant- Californias and 458 Italias on one vast conveyor system, all at various stages of assembly. One really got to appreciate just how stunning the 458 Italia is; seeing it from every angle imaginable it was not hard to understand that despite the price knocking firmly on the door of £200k, there is two year waiting list for this beast. Red and black paintwork generally dominated the 458s that were rolling off with a splattering of yellow, Tour de France and grey. Prospective California buyers seemed to be more adventurous when it came to choosing from that Ferrari palette, but in truth these cars look pretty sensational in every classic colour. The drawback: no amateur photography allowed within the factory!

The group rounded off the tour with a visit to the famous Fiorano track which housed the Formula 1 preparation bays and development areas. This stunningly manicured facility provides Ferrari with a private, easily accessible location to stretch the legs of new cars and even test Formula 1 models. As the sun was setting we watched in silence as one of the Ferrari test pilotas screamed around the tight hair-pins in a new, black 458. The booming soundtrack on the straights was complemented perfectly by the illuminated glow of the red-hot brakes that shone through the car’s stunning five-spoke alloys. With California driving on this very track the next day, I knew I would need more than a few glasses of Montepulciano to temper my excitement and ability to sleep that night.

Here at Make and Model we spend more time than is probably healthy browsing YouTube. Having been caught out by the boss one time too many we figured we needed a good excuse should we get caught again...

Thus we bring you our parking wins and fails – as we endeavour to prove that YouTube isn’t just for funnies – it’s for work too?

So we’ll start out with a win.

Sadly there’s not enough space for this guy to park... Rather than driving around for ages desperately seeking a space; he instead elects to nudge one of the cars along just a little. Job’s a good ‘un.

So it starts out pretty badly when the driver smashes into a car whilst attempting some sort of nonchalant swing into the parking space manoeuvre.

Sadly there’s no sound on the video, but we imagine there were cries of ‘abort, abort, ABORT!’ (or possibly something NSFW) being screamed from inside the car. Here’s where it all goes to hell in a handcart. In their haste to make a getaway the driver then manages to reverse over a metal bollard which then gets stuck under the car. They finally manage to escape ‘sans’ bumper. Sucks to be them, huh?

White car "just" beats the maroon car to this space.

We just had to include this – not only are there clips and photos of some truly amazing parking fails the soundtrack is Danger Zone by Kenny Loggins – which has got to be one of our favourite songs to drive (completely within the speed limit) to.

This five year old demonstrates some astounding parking skills...

Worthy of inclusion thanks to the elevator music and somewhat sarcastic commentary alone; here follows a duel of epic proportions between a red car and a white car in Andover. Yep, Andover. Seriously, you need sound for this one... Two cars engaged in a head to head battle over a parking space; plus a slightly sheepish teenager who figured pushing his Mother’s car might give it the extra welly it needed to beat the evil red car... We’re guessing MENSA probably won’t be pestering him to join any time soon.

Worthy of an honourable mention, despite the lack of footage - Maureen Rees from driving school. Her classic cries on the dual carriageway ‘What’s the matter with you, I could’ve been off!’ and of course the time she accidentally drove over her long suffering husband Dave’s foot mean she surely deserves a post devoted entirely to her... or at least she would if we could get our hands on some footage *shakes fist at the BBC*.

So – what did we miss? Let us know by posting links to your favourite parking wins and fails via the comments.

Here at Make and Model we are proud to unveil the Hear it, See it, Win it Competition, where a grand prize of a Ferrari vs Lamborghini Driving Experience Day will be awarded to the car enthusiast who can identify a motor vehicle by its sounds or obscure parts. The winner will experience first hand, Ferrari’s undisputed engineering with its dynamically designed body and suspension. Then straightaway indulge in driving the Lamborghini Gallardo's all-wheel drive, with its super power and daringly desirable fast acceleration.

This competition will take place once a week from the 20th of October to the 22nd of December. Every week we will post either an audio clip of an engine revving or a small detail of a car, such as a wheel nut or tail light. Entrants need only to identify the make and model of the car, then send their name, email address and answer to info@makeandmodel.co.uk. Then at the end of the 10 weeks, we will draw from all correct entries the winner of the grand prize, a Ferrari vs Lamborghini driving day.

But before that, each week’s correct answers will be put into a smaller draw to win an 18” x 12” supercar print from Feature Automotive photographer Dean Smith. And just to sweeten the deal even more: if you get the answers right every week, you’ll increase your chances of winning the grand prize 10 times!

Start warming up with our test question below.

(The competition is now closed).

Check out the live questions:

But style isn’t necessarily out of reach for first time buyers in the modern age, and the Mazda2 proves that. In fact, I wanted to see just what a modern first time buyer might get out of their machine, so I asked for something below the top spec for this test. Mazda obliged, sending me a Mazda2 TS2 1.3, which is in the middle of the range, with a few nice luxuries like air-con, which incidentally is so cold it made me shiver on a blazing sunny day.

New Mazda2s start at just under £10,000, which isn’t bad when you look at how pretty this little thing is, and used cars start at about £5,500. Sensible money for a first car, helped by the low insurance groups, high reliability and low service costs. But facts and figures are all well and good, what’s it actually like?

Very good, actually. The ride is compliant, but still offers an interesting drive through the bends, helped by Mazda’s weight saving regime, which makes the Mazda2 lighter and nimbler than many of it’s rivals. The gear change is exquisite, echoing the precise, positive feel of the brilliant MX-5, which is one of my all-time favourite cars. Steering is well weighted and accurate. The engine note is almost silent at low revs and is interesting and entertaining when you push hard, if not exactly sonorous.

The interior is well styled, with sporty, clear to read dials, a nicely sized steering wheel, and an attractive centre console. It’s well put together, too, though not of the highest quality - a moot point considering almost every rival is a little lacking in the materials department. Also of interest, if only to a girl, is the lack of a passenger vanity mirror, though it’s not a major fault. The glovebox features a neat design, which allows you to drop small items in without opening it up, handy when on the go.

Audio quality is good, and AUX connectivity is standard throughout the range, so you can listen to your iPod or other audio player in the car. Boot space is ample, but not exceptional. It’s ideal for a small shopping trip, though, and folding rear seats increase the capacity substantially.

In summary, the Mazda2 is a wonderfully packaged car that does everything well enough, and nothing wrong. Providing an entertaining drive, enjoyable performance, decent practicality and a good price means that the 2 is an ideal first car or city runabout. Going by Mazda’s track record, the Mazda2 should be fairly reliable, too, and the arrival of a face-lifted model means that second hand cars will drop in price. So it’ll make for an even better buy both new and used.

The Elegant Audi E-Tron Spider Concept Car

Porsche's eagerly anticipated 911 Carrera GTS and Speedster

Smoking - Lamborghini's Sesto Elemento Concept

Jaguar's Diesel Electric Concept Supercar, the C-X75

The Ferrari SA Aperta which is being released to celebrate 80 years of Pininfarina, only 80 are being built

Ready to rival the Aston Martin DB9, the Lotus Elite which will be released in 2014

Renault's stunning DeZir sports concept car

Vauxhall showing innovative design with the GTC Concept

The sleek BMW 6 Series Coupe Concept

I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve seen the Jaguar XF commercial telling us how many awards it’s won but does winning awards make you cool? I guess it makes people more aware of you whereas brands like Aston Martin, because they’re ‘so cool’, don’t feel the need to advertise.

Also in the news this week is the Paris Motor Show (October 2nd – 17th) where BMW will be unveiling their Concept 6 Series Coupe and Porsche with their eagerly anticipated 911 Carrera GTS (Coupe and Cabriolet) and 911 Speedster. All eyes will be on the new 6 series, given the divisive opinions that were formed around the outgoing model.

Could we soon be seeing our first Lacoste designer car? Citroen is another manufacturer who will be unveiling a new concept car next week in Paris – The Citroen Lacoste Concept. Its colour scheme, cloth covering the seats and wheel design are all Lacoste. Citroen is marketing the car as being an ‘emblem for a state-of-mind and a lifestyle.’ The Citroen Lacoste will be the sister model for the Peugeot BB1. We’ll take a look to see if there’s substance and not just style behind this collaboration.

We are always looking for new ideas, different angles on cars and car related stuff – if you tell us what you would like to see we’ll see what we can do!