Solenoid, Arco Sw090 on 2040-parts.com

Renault to unveil Alpine-branded concept car at Monaco GP

Renault is set to unveil an Alpine-branded concept car at this weekend's Monaco Grand Prix. The A110-50 – so named to commemorate the fiftieth anniversary of the oh-so-pretty A110 rally car – is clearly a development of the 2010 DeZir concept car although with only one leaked image to analyze, it's difficult to know by what amount it has changed. Clearly it has been subjected to the addition of a myriad of additional details, surfaces, inlets, outlets and various pieces of racing addenda however that, on the little evidence we have, appear to have added drama to the detriment of the refreshingly non-aggressive nature of the DeZir.

Alfa MiTo TwinAir arrives

Alfa Romeo has bolted the 875cc TwinAir engine from the Fiat 500 in to the MiTo to produce a congestion charge busting new MiTo. The new Alfa Romeo MiTo TwinAir is a logical move by Alfa to produce a MiTo with green credentials but which still offer a decent drive and a dose of fun. In the Fiat 500, the TwinAir engine is a bit of a hoot, sounding a bit like a cross between a lawnmower and a 2-stroke and with bags of character and lively to boot.

BMW i Ventures buys in to ParkatmyHouse.com

BMW i-Ventures invest in ParkatmyHouse.com Earlier this year – when BMW launched their BMW-i Brand – there was also news of a new BMW company – BMW i Ventures – which BMW said they were setting up to invest in interesting stuff related to cars. BMW stated their goal as “…to expand the range of products and services offered by BMW i in the long term by taking stakes in highly innovative service providers”, and their first investment was in to an app business -  My City Way – which provides users with information on public transportation, parking availability, and local entertainment. BMW argue – very sensibly – that our fuel usage can be cut by using common sense and new technology.