1958-1985 Ford Nos Brass Float Mustang, Galaxie, Mercury, Torino, Fairlane, F100 on 2040-parts.com

Ferrari 458 Speciale to debut at Frankfurt motor show

Update: Preview video added below, and yes, you can hear the car's engine -- barely -- through the thumping movie trailer-like music. A new Prancing Horse is set to go public at the 2013 Frankfurt motor show: Ferrari will use the event to introduce the 458 Speciale, which will join the 458 Italia and 458 Spider at the lower end of Ferrari's range. Visually, the 2,844 lb., mid-engined 458 Speciale doesn't depart too much from the 458 Italia, though the new model gets a more aggressive fascia and a massive hood duct that -- when coupled with an apparently F1-inspired interior -- hints at the no-nonsense sporting purpose of the car.

Volvo S60 L plug-in petrol hybrid heading for Beijing Motor Show

The Volvo S60L Plug-in (pictured) heading for Beijing The Volvo V60 Plug-in is already doing good business for Volvo – despite a price tag of £50k – but the V60 plug-in is a diesel hybrid which doesn’t suit all markets. So Volvo are ploughing ahead with a petrol engine based plug-in hybrid with the debut at the Beijing Motor Show next week of the Volvo S60 L Plug-in, a petrol hybrid version of the long wheelbase S60. At first glance the S60 Plug-in looks just like its regular ICE sibling, but under the skin sits a 2.0 litre Drive-E petrol engine with 238bhp and 258lb/ft of torque – which drives the front wheels – and a 68bhp electric motor with 147lb/ft of torque that can drive the rear wheels, which can be recharged in 4.5 hours.

Book Review: Car Guys vs Bean Counters

Designers are the surprise heroes of a new book by former General Motors vice chairman Robert Lutz, called Car Guys vs. Bean Counters: The Battle for the Soul of American Business. "The real car guys are in design," Lutz told me during his recent book tour.