Volkswagen Jetta Tdi Engine Brainbox, Electronic Control Module; 2.0l, Diesel on 2040-parts.com

Renault Megane Renaultsport 275 Trophy-R Special Edition celebrates Nurburgring record

The Renault Megane Renaultsport 275 Trophy-R (pictured) breaks a Nurburgring record We knew Renault were planning to take the Megane Renaultsport 275 Trophy to the Nurburgring to have a crack at the FWD production car record and wrestle it back from the SEAT Lean Cupra 280. After some extreme weight saving measures – and some chassis tweaks – Renault managed to push the 275 Trophy round the Nordschleife in 7min 53.4 seconds, beating the SEAT’s time of 7min 58.4 seconds to take the record (video below). But not being one’s to miss a marketing opportunity, Renault has decided that they should celebrate the Nurburgring record with a new limited edition Megane – the Megane Renaultsport 275 Trophy-R Special Edition.

2012 Mercedes SL63 AMG – now it’s the video

Mercedes SL63 AMG Video The official public debut of the 2012 Mercedes SL63 AMG is at Geneva next week and Mercedes has divvied up a video to pique interest. It’s easy to think of the Mercedes SL as an old man’s convertible; a soft and soggy soft-top for those who are more interested in the pose than the drive. But that’s not really been true for a long time, and certainly not in the SL AMG models, which have offered real performance and decent dynamics since arriving as the SL55 AMG a decade ago.

Toyota NS4 Advanced Plug-in Hybrid Concept

The Toyota NS4 Advanced Plug-in Hybrid Concept marks another step in the recent revival of the company's design direction. Its silhouette is almost identical to the FCV-R concept unveiled in Tokyo, with a soft transition through hood, screen and roof, through to the high rear deck. This has become the visual identifier for hybrid cars of late.