New Dorman Spindle Lock Nut Kit, 05140 on 2040-parts.com

Lotus to create 100 new jobs (2013)

Lotus is bouncing back from the five-car plan debacle that saw its CEO Dany Bahar dismissed for professional misconduct, and an ambitious plot to launch a Porsche-slaying five-car range go up in smoke without so much a test mule spy shot. The Norfolk-based outfit has announced today the creation of 103 new jobs to meet rising demand not just for its cars, but the brand’s legendary car set-up skills too. It follows a £100m investment from parent DRB-HICOM earlier in 2013.

Boyd Coddington, dead at 63

Legendary Californian hot-rod builder and customizer Boyd Coddington, passed-away last Wednesday, at 63, from complications related to a recent surgery. His influence and legacy is immense, not just in the street-rod scene, but for the automotive design community as a whole. Raised in Rupert Idaho, Coddington moved to California in the late 60's to start his hot-rod shop while working for Disneyland as a machinist.

Goodwood Revival – with Mr Bean

Rowan Atkinson as Mr Bean will feature at this year's Goodwood Revival But one big petrolhead – who is a Goodwood regular – is Rowan Atkinson, and Goodwood has persuaded him to recreate the Mr Bean sketch – for it is Rowan who is Mr Bean – driving a Mini whilst seated on the roof ,utilising a variety of household articles to control the Mini from a comfy armchair. I can’t confess to being a Mr Bean fan (although I adore Black Adder), but Mr Bean has made Rowan a very rich man, so I’m sure it will prove a big draw. Apart from his daily sketch recreation, Rowan will be driving a 1965 Austin Mini Cooper S in the St Mary’s Trophy saloon car race, which this year is all-Mini and recreates a Mini race that took place at Goodwood in the early sixties.