1979 Ford 302 Aluminum Bell Housing And Block Plate on 2040-parts.com

Lexus sales up but Toyota's profits tumble

By Ben Whitworth Motor Industry 13 August 2008 13:25 With spiralling fuel prices, luxury off-roaders may be seen as the devil on wheels in the UK’s current cash-strapped economic climate – which would explain why last month saw a sharp drop in SUV sales at BMW, Audi and Mercedes. But not at Lexus. July 2008 sales of the company’s RX400h hybrid off-roader climbed 28 percent over the same period last year, rising from 223 to 285.

Concept Car of the Week: Lancia Bertone Sibilo (1978)

The second half of the ‘70s saw automotive design fall into an era of uninspired and uninspiring economic cars finished with cheap plastic add-ons and stuffed with beige itchy fabrics. Working from the little Bertone studio in Turin, it seems Marcello Gandini didn't get the memo and carried on drawing futuristic wedgey supercars. With the Sibilo, he pushed his signature angular style to a new level of modernity.

Citroen at the Paris motor show 2008

By James Foxall Motor Shows 02 October 2008 11:59 Citroen is one of the show stealers this year with a stunning-looking concept car that you can actually drive, courtesy of a tie-up with PlayStation. But the firm’s stand had something for everyone, with 34 models including the new C3 Picasso, BMW X6-like Hypnos concept and even a hybrid World Rally Championship car.  This was the first car the firm unveiled in Paris and the one it spent most time talking about. It’s a Renault Modus-rivalling baby people carrier which goes on sale early in 2009.