1990 Mercury Mariner Drive Shaft Housing Ass'y (long) 8829a 3, 6/8/9.9/15hp on 2040-parts.com

Are new car sales figures a fantasy?

A recent report from Germany claimed up to 30 per cent of new car sales were a fiction. Could the same be true in the UK? Despite the recession – and the lack of finance deals for a huge number of potential customers – new car sales in the UK seem to be rising inexorably.

BMW M5 30th Anniversary Edition (2014) first official pictures

By Ben Pulman First Official Pictures 07 May 2014 15:02 BMW is marking the 30th anniversary of the M5 by building the most powerful ever version of its legendary super-saloon. The BMW M5 ‘30 Jahre M5’ has an extra 39bhp from a tweaked version of its 4.4-litre twin-turbo V8, plus there’s a smattering of special trim and anniversary badging, and just 300 will be built. Apparently ‘this power boost has been achieved through carefully calculated tweaks to the engine management and an increase in charge pressure’.

Concept Car of the Week: Ferrari Pinin (1980)

Over the years, Ferrari has slowly built a reputation for the fact that any car that wears the prancing horse badge on its bonnet ought to be a design masterpiece. Everyone has their own personal favorite: 250 GTO, 250 GT California Spider, 330 P4, Modulo, Daytona, you name it...  Yet few would remember – or even know about – the odd ones, the ugly Ferraris hidden away, rarely allowed to see the light of day; a few rare cars that got brushed under the carpet as quickly as they appeared include the 365 GTC/4, FZ93 Zagato, the 408 Integrale and the Pinin. Most of them are the work of independent studios, long-distanced from Enzo's (dis)approval.