Ten things we learned this week

This week's most "Say whaaat?" story comes courtesy of Car Dealer magazine, which has interviewed F1's most famous ‘tache. Big Nige, it appears, now runs Mansell Mitsubishi on the island of Jersey.

If the story wasn't bonkers enough already, Mansell uses the interview to reveal he's sold an Outlander plug-in hybrid to Ronald McDonald, and that the museum sitting above his dealership contains a dagger made from dinosaur bone. For once, we're speechless.

Back in April, Ford showcased its all-new Mustang on the observation deck of the Empire State Building before the New York motor show. It's gone one better this week though. Well, 26 floors and 79 metres better, to be precise.

To officially launch Ford's Middle East and Africa operations with a bang, a bright yellow ‘Stang was sent up to the 112th floor of Dubai's Burj Khalifa. At 830 metres high, it's the world's tallest tower, though the Stang could only make it up to the 112th floor, which at 399 metres, isn't quite halfway...

Seven weeks after his horrid accident in Suzuka, news has emerged this week that Jules Bianchi is out of his medically induced coma, and breathing on his own. He's still unconscious and his condition remains ‘critical', but Jules has shown enough improvement to enable his family to fly him back to France, where his hospital treatment will continue.

A family statement reads: "We are thankful that the next phase of Jules' treatment can continue close to home, where he can be surrounded and supported by his wider family and friends. We have nothing but praise for the outstanding care provided by the Mie Prefectural General Medical Center since the accident."

#ForzaJules

Michelin has this week committed to mass production of the Tweel, its airless, flexible tyre that's been in development for years now.

The Tweel has so far cropped up in everything from wheelchairs to lunar rovers. Instead of air, the Tweel uses exposed flexible spindles, with the big advantage is that it can't suffer a puncture. Its inexplicably amusing name is just a wonderful bonus.

Well, Michelin has committed over £30million and a 135,000 square-foot factory to building the Tweel in volume. If you want to sample it, the Tweel is now the standard-fit ‘tyre' of John Deere's new lawn mower. Like we said, good news...

Chinese cars that look more than a little like their European influences are nothing new. Neither are completely fruitless attempts by the aggrieved party to put an end to quite flagrant copying.

None are quite as near the knuckle as the Land Wind X7, which so resembles a Range Rover Evoque that they look interchangeable in search engine thumbnail pictures.

The thorny issue here is that the X7 has launched at the Guangzhou motor show, the same event that Land Rover's joint venture, Chinese-built Evoque has made its debut. It costs £40,000. The Land Wind? £14,000.

Jack Cottle is an oafish man, one who thought sneaking his girlfriend's VW Polo onto a bustling Brands Hatch would be a load of harmless hashtag bantz. What he actually did was gatecrash a live motor race, endangering drivers and marshals, among others.

Well, many from the motorsport scene will be relieved to know he's been punished, being sentenced to an eight-month jail sentence this week. Quite a stretch, that, but this curious case is the first of its kind and a precedent is being set.

"The sentence must reflect the need to deter others who might be tempted to act as you did," said Judge Martin Joy. Given the internet infamy Cottle has ‘enjoyed' since, we say it's a sensible stance to take.

Remember Porsche's sculpture from the lawn of last year's Goodwood Festival of Speed? Marking the 50th birthday of the 911, it featured models old and new at the top of tall prongs, the end result looking like some very rear-engined-flavour lollies.

The good news this week is that it's back, or it certainly will be soon. The rendering above shows how an updated version will look on a roundabout outside of Porsche's Stuttgart HQ and museum when it's unveiled next year. Once again, an array of old and new 911s will be documented. Tasty.

Danish driver Tom Kristensen has announced his retirement from racing this week. If you need reminding, the man's a legend: he's won the Le Mans 24 Hours a staggering nine times, most of those victories with Audi. He's comfortably the race's winningest driver.

Kristensen will bow out at the last round of the 2014 World Endurance Championship next weekend, where he will share an Audi R18 e-tron with Loic Duval and Lucas di Grassi for the last time.

Kristensen will remain with Audi as a representative. Head of Audi Motorsport, Dr Wolfgang Ullrich, says: "We're happy that Tom Kristensen has been, and continues to be, an ‘Audian'."

Please, doc, never use the word ‘Audian' again...

If you frequently use derogatory four-letter words to describe public transport, then you're much nearer the truth than you probably ever intended. Buses in Bristol are now eschewing boring old diesel and instead running on human waste.

Steaming between Bristol Airport and Bath city centre, the Bio-Bus transports 40 people and can cover up to 186 miles on a tank of gas. That's the annual, err, emissions of five people. Those with a distrust of technology will be mildly horrified to know that it's all stored above their heads, in the dome-like tank atop the bus.

We've never been happier to be car people.

The final pre-race press conference of the Formula 1 season was full of awkward questions as Lewis and Nico continued to haplessly pretend there's ABSOLUTELY NO TENSION BETWEEN THEM WHATSOEVER.

But Jenson Button - effortlessly cool and relaxed, whatever his future holds - managed to reduce the tension and raise a couple of genuine smiles among the warring drivers.

As well as a wry smirk when Rosberg declared Hamilton should "drive cleanly" without a hint of irony, Jenson also made Alonso as uncomfortable as possible when an interviewer asked the seemingly McLaren-bound Spaniard if he'd like Button to be his teammate. Watch it here.