The Aston Martin Vantage GT4 has only been racing for two years, but in that time has garnered notable achievements: Wins at the Nürburgring 24 Hours, Spa 24 hours and this year’s European GT4 Cup, just to name three. The Gaydon firm has made revisions to the 2011 model, incorporating lessons learned from the roadgoing V12 Vantage, including better aerodynamics and greater downforce, as well as a new option that includes racing-tuned ABS and a new traction control system developed by Bosch. No specific numbers were released, but Aston Martin says that it has reworked the GT4’s 4.7-liter V8, as well, providing improved horsepower and torque numbers. @funkmasteflex AB

Jaguar has issued a recall covering 6,475 2010-11 XJ sedans built between July 28, 2009 and November 3, 2010 due to defective windshield wipers. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration details the exact problem with these XJs, saying: “The front wiper arms to spindle fixings were not torqued to specification during manufacturing. As a result, the securing nuts could fail to perform as intended, resulting in a loss of wiper arm synchronization and a clash of the wiper arms.” @funkmasterflex

General Motors is recalling nearly 200,000 Chevrolet Colorado and GMC Canyon and Isuzu i280 and i370 pickups. The vehicles are apparently equipped with a top child restraint tether anchor that’s not accessible as required by federal law in the center seating position. This means parents could fail to secure their children properly, potentially causing injury in the event of a collision. @funkmasterflex