Ten things we learned this week: 26 June 2015

And, if we're being honest, there's not an awful lot more to add to this picture.

But then we imagine a lot of these words are falling on glazed eyes. Nonetheless, we'll soldier on.

Maria Sharapova, a celebrity of the tennis world for a number of reasons, is a Porsche ambassador. So ahead of the upcoming Wimbledon championship, she popped into Porsche Mayfair to plonk herself in the Boxster Spyder, essentially a roofless Cayman GT4.

Want more info? Then here's the entirely unbiased opinion of Sharapova herself.
"This is huge fun - truly thrilling. I love that this new Boxster Spyder is like a classic sports car, but at the same time feels so modern and sophisticated. It's a fantastic car and I need to get one!"

Impartial.

It's Celebs In Cars Part Two, as the leader of the Kaiser Chiefs/button-pusher on The Voice has been revealed as an ambassador for the new Civic Type-R.

We'll resist opening the ‘what actually is a car ambassador?' can of burrowing invertebrates - it's a mess we're really not equipped to clean up - and instead simply report what we know.

Wilson will get his own Type-R when they arrive in the UK, and to announce the very-difficult-to-fathom partnership, Honda has helped him to a race licence so that he can pilot the bonkers, 306bhp Civic up Goodwood hill this weekend.

We predict a haybale.

Land Rover Defender fans trying to keep their emotions in check as the death knell tolls, look away now.

For this week the two millionth Defender has been revealed, and its production has not been a quiet, restrained affair.

Rather than just bolt together the next car on the order sheet, you see, Land Rover decided to rope in an "all-star cast of special guests" to construct something a little more momentous.

This included all manner of people, from workers of the Red Cross and Born Free charities to TV's own Action Man doll, Bear Grylls.

And those keen to own a landmark in Landie history better get saving: this two-millionth Defender will be auctioned on behalf of those good causes in December, and we'd wager it'll fetch quite the pile of cash. Interested?

 
Well, that didn't taken long. Not 48 hours after Alfa unveiled its 503bhp, rear-drive Giulia, a nice man from the Netherlands has turned the stunning V6 saloon into a stunning V6 estate. Albeit a virtual, unofficial one.
 
This rather nifty render is the work of Dutch industrial designer Jochem Hinloopen who, in between being a proper grown-up automotive engineer, spends his time obsessing over V6 Alfa and Lancias, which is frankly an entirely sensible obsession.
 
Jochem's mash-up imagines how the glorious Giulia would look in Sportwagon form. Every bit as tasty as the saloon, we'd say. Even in brown.
 
See more of Jochem's work on his Twitter feed.

 
The least revelatory news of the week comes from the murky world of YouTube, where this video has surfaced of Ferrari’s two most recent V12 grand tourers having a jolly good scrap on the drag strip.
 
It’s a battle between 730bhp F12 Berlinetta and 661bhp 599 GTO. You may have a hunch which way it’s going to swing, and while we won’t reveal the result, we will spoil any possible (albeit unlikely) surprise at just how flipping good this race sounds. It’s a headphones on job, this one…

 
Good news for those who live nowhere near width restrictors: the Mercedes G500 4x4 Squared has been confirmed for production.
 
The G500 Squared, if you’d forgotten, is the even more off-road capable version of the venerable G-Wagen, what with its jacked-up ride height and twin suspension struts. It’s essentially an only-mildly-saner 4x4 version of the loopy 6x6.
 
It will set you back the rather princely sum of 226,100 euros - £160,000 in our money. That’s a Range Rover Sport SVR and a Porsche Cayman GT4.
 
But then not even that Rangey will scurry its way to the places this mini-monster truck Merc can, and you can probably bet very good money – 160 grand of it, in fact – that you’ll never see another in your local quarry.

 
We love a good recall here at TG, and not the sort that sees 50,000 Mitsubishi Lancer Sportbacks sent back to the dealer for dodgy wiper ECUs.
 
Nope, we rather like the ones that see tiny numbers of hypercars called back, no doubt perturbing owners who have to resort to one of their 76 other vacuum-packed cars while the work is carried out.
 
Accordingly, two recalls have affected the Ferrari TheFerrari this week, with fixes required to remedy potential defects in the headrests and tyre-pressure monitor.
 
We’re bringing our 918 Spyder back out, ready to fill the gap.

 
Coupe-hatchback? Done. Diesel performance SUV? Tick. Moon buggy? Sorted.
 
Audi’s pursuit of making every type of four-wheeled thing imaginable remains on full course, if these pictures are to be believed.
 
Ingolstadt's engineers have teamed up with a bunch of scientists to send an unmanned rover to the moon, the buggy leaving Earth in 2017 to travel the 236,121 miles that will take it to Apollo 17’s original landing spot.
 
Audi’s been called upon for its knowhow in four-wheel drive and piloted driving, among other things, with the team it’s assisting – a German bunch called ‘Part-Time Scientists’ – aiming to acquire the £20million ‘Google Lunar XPRIZE’ for exploring a chunk of moonscape and sending some pictures back to prove it.
 
Given the rough terrain the Lunar Audi is set to face, we’re hoping our Part-Time friends haven’t specced S-Line suspension.

 
For such a young car, the bonkers-fast, silly-sideways M4 is racking up the special editions. The latest is this, the 25th Anniversary edition.
 
If you’re worried the 24 years since its launch have disappeared somewhat quickly, then fret not: this smartly appointed sports car simply celebrates the quarter century of BMW’s 'Individual' customisation arm.
 
It seems a million miles from the bright yellow and blue M4s you’ve most likely seen tooling about the internet. Looking excellent in dark Macao Blue, there are also some two-tone leather seats and – look carefully – the M tricolours running through the carbon roof.
 
We imagine it’s a shop window for Individual’s M4 bits as much as anything else. Anything take your fancy?

 
If you like your special editions a touch more practical, then this Ford Transit is what you need.
 
Literally only a touch more, though: while the good old Tranny won’t be short of loadspace, the fact it’s riding on Eibach lowered suspension suggests it might not carry a three-piece suite over speed bumps with quite the usual aplomb.
 
It does look excellent, though, being as it is inspired by the M Sport Ford Fiesta WRC car. 18-inch wheels and a sports exhaust complete the transformation.
 
Expect to see one travelling at near-warp speed in the outside lane of your local motorway very soon.