2006 Suzuki Ltr 450 Clutch Cover on 2040-parts.com

Aston Martin Vanquish Volante public debut at Pebble Beach next month

Aston Martin Vanquish Volante (pictured) will make its public debut at Pebble Beach in August Aston Martin is 100 years old this year so they’re pulling out all the stops for this year’s Pebble Beach, with the first public debut for both the new Vanquish Volante and V12 Vanquish S. The Vanquish Volante was revealed last month as an impressive soft top take on the new Vanquish, with Aston Martin claiming the new Vanquish Volante as the stiffest convertible ever built by Aston and promising the same performance as its tin-top sibling – 0-62mph in 4.1 seconds and 183mph – as well as a distinct like of the shimmy and shake many Aston convertibles exhibit. The month before the reveal of the Vanquish Volante, Aston Martin also revealed the new V12 Vantage S as the quickest production Aston ever, offering 565 willing horses, a new 7-speed Sportshift 3 automated manual ‘box, new sports exhaust and ceramic brakes.

Mitsubishi Lancer EVO X FQ330 SST launched

Mitsubishi has launched the Mitsubishi Lancer EVO X FQ330 SST [ad#ad-1] Mitsubishi has decided that there is a hole to fill in its Evo X range, so it has introduced the Mitsubishi Lancer EVO X FQ330 SST, to fit in between the FQ300 and the FQ360. The Mitsubishi Lancer EVO X FQ330 SST offers an increase of 29bhp over the FQ330, and features Mitsubishi’s new six-speed Twin-Clutch Sports Shift Transmission, which translates in to a 0-60 mph time of 4.4 seconds. The additional power on the FQ330 comes from a re-mapping of the ECU and improvements to the intake and exhaust to make the Evo breathe more easily.

Russian Grand Prix: Hamilton on pole for Mercedes

Hamilton (r) has pole in Russia followed by Rosberg (l) and Bottas (c) Amid tight security thanks to Russia’s ongoing spat in Ukraine, and a muted appetite for exuberance after Jules Bianchi’s dreadful crash with a JCB on track last weekend, the rest of the F1 circus seems to be on normal duty, with Hamilton’s Mercedes taking the front row and Hamilton dominating proceedings in qualifying to secure another pole position. But it wasn’t necessarily going all Mercedes’ way, with Bottas stringing together a very quick lap in the dying moments of final qualifying that looked like it could propel him in front of the Mercedes duo, until he lost traction at the end of his flying lap and had to settle for third spot in tomorrow’s race. Joining Bottas on row two is Jenson Button and his McLaren after a strong qualifying, and Daniil Kvyat – at his first home Grand Prix – managed to secure a very impressive fifth spot for Toro Rosso. Kevin Magnussen in the second McLaren would have been on row three in sixth spot but gets a five place penalty for a gearbox change.