1977 Ski Doo Everest 440 Brake Lever on 2040-parts.com

MINI gets a BMW 2.0 litre diesel

BMW 2.0 litre diesel in a MINI raises the prospect of a MINI John Cooper Works diesel [ad#ad-1] Just like every other car maker, MINI is trying to find a way to give their cars extra eco-kudos but still be able to deliver what their customers want. Hybrids, electric cars and other ‘eco-friendly’ options are one way to go, but diesels, with their extra torque and modern power, can deliver much of what a zippy little petrol unit can (even if they do lose some of the subtlety). So BMW are looking at ways to inject a little more economy in to the MINI Cooper, and if possible a little more power.

The no-show cars: a reader rant on mad concepts

Instigated by Harley Earl at General Motors in the late 30s with the quaintly named Buick Y-Job, show cars, or concept cars, were presented to an excited public eager for new things. As the world recovered from a depression and then a war, these vehicles pointed to a better future that many people believed in, including the people who produced them. And, although many of the concept cars of the 50s, with their Jetsons plexiglass roofs and notional nuclear powered engines seem ludicrous now, in their time they weren’t that cynical.

Bluebird DC50 electric supercar (2014) pays tribute to Land Speed Record legend

The Bluebird name is back – and this time it’s on a road-legal supercar. This is the first sketch of the Bluebird DC50, an electric coupe that’ll be launched in 2014 to mark 50 years since Donald Campbell’s land and water speed record runs. It’s the brainchild of Don Wales, grandson of Sir Malcolm Campbell and nephew of Donald Campbell.