Eddie Trotta Designs Mini Oil Pressure Gauge And Cover Polished on 2040-parts.com

Gronholm makes explosive debut at Pikes Peak

By Alex Michaelides Motor Shows 24 July 2009 11:55 Finnish rally ace Marcus Gronholm averted disaster to make a promising debut at the 2009 Pikes Peak international hillclimb. The world rally champion’s attempt was severely hampered when the rear tyre of his Ford Fiesta exploded, forcing him to limp home to a still-respectable fifth position in a time of 11min 28.963sec. Japanese rally star Nobuhiro ‘Monster’ Tajima claimed first prize in his Suzuki SX4 with a time of 10min 15.368sec.

Porsche 918 Spyder races toward production

OK, let's put the usual arguments to rest first: The Porsche 918 Spyder is going to be even faster than the Carrera GT in a straight line. That's based on Porsche's own computer simulations in anticipation of the production version of the gasoline-electric-powered 918 Spyder, which is due to roll off a dedicated line within a decommissioned paint shop at Porsche's Zuffenhausen, Germany, headquarters next year. The claimed 0-to-62-mph time is 2.8 seconds; 0-to-124 mph is 8.9 seconds, and top speed should be about 202 mph, thanks in part to series of active aerodynamic functions, including a multistage rear wing.

Tesla Eye showcar by IED

The Istituto Europeo di Design (IED) was the only university to have a stand at the recent Geneva motor show. Occupying a booth in the center of the upper main hall, the school showcased the Eye concept, a recent project designed by students in the Master of Arts Transportation Design program in collaboration with Tesla Motors. According to IED, the Eye concept was born out of research into the identity promoted by Tesla to achieve a new objective: designing an everyday 2+2 sports car conceived to become a status-symbol; a car with engaging features and sports car performance ideally suited to a young, cosmopolitan target demographic.