Blog on 2040Parts

Button issues Triathlon challenge

Formula 1 star Jenson Button is challenging his McLaren team-mates to down tools and race him - in the annual triathlon he organises. The 2009 world champion driver is signing up his mechanics to take part in the challenge being staged in July for the third year. Button is a keen athlete who has taken part in a number of triathlons over the years.

New Renault Twingo revealed – debuts at Geneva

The new Renault Twingo revealed The new Renault Twingo has been revealed a little earlier than Renault planned with a single group photo of the new Twingo (above) after first images leaked on to the Interwebs, and Renault are promising a proper set of photos later (we’ll update then). The new Twingo takes its cues from the recent Renault Twinz Concept and is underpinned by the same rear-engined, rear-wheel-drive platform as the next generation SMART ForFour. Both the new Twingo and the new ForFour will use the same range of 3-cylinder engines complete with either a manual or dual-clutch auto ‘box, and the Twingo comes with a front end that looks like the rest of the latest Renault range and will be available in both three and five-door options.

A heavy key chain may deactivate the airbags in your Chevy Cobalt or Pontiac G5

GM is recalling 788,000 Cobalt and Pontiac G5 sedans for a potentially deadly problem with the ignition system. When the vehicles' keys are connected to heavy key chains (or, say, key rings laden with a dozen extra keys), a sufficiently extreme jolt or impact could shift the ignition out of the "run" position and into the "off" position. Cuts electrical power to the vehicles' systems, in turn deactivating the airbags.

Toyota begins testing wireless recharging for electric cars

Toyota has announced that it will begin actual verification testing of its new wireless battery charging system for electric vehicles, one which charges the battery of a plug-in hybrid or a pure-electric car by having the car park over it. Toyota's charging system uses magnetic-resonance technology, which operates by transmitting electricity by using the magnetic resonance resulting from changes in magnentic field intensity between a coil positioned under the car, and a receiving coil built into the underside of the vehicle. This system eliminates the need for physically plugging in an electric car or a hybrid to an actual plug, and also has the potential to solve the problem of multiple types of actual plugs.

Brabus unleashes Mercedes-Benz SL850 6.0 Biturbo

We still remember a time when Brabus' Mercedes-Benz cars were tough to pick out in a crowd, but with the current generation of cars from this Bottrop-based tuning house everyone will be able to spot them from a mile away. Given the maximum speed of some of its cars, that's not a bad thing by any means. And even though Brabus has recently attracted attention for its treatment of the facelifted G-class and the new Mercedes-Benz S-class, their latest reworking of the Mercedes-Benz SL63 AMG is sure to reset the bar when it comes to the SL-class.

BMW goes front-wheel drive for the 2-series Active Tourer

BMW's long-held reputation for producing only rear- and four-wheel drive vehicles comes to an end with the the new 2-series Active Tourer, its first-ever front-wheel-drive production model. The cornerstone of BMW's Geneva show stand next month, the 2-series Active Tourer marks a significant turning point for the German automaker, adopting a transverse-mounted engine and standard FWD. It arrives here in early 2015.

Storms batter Britain

THE MET OFFICE has issued a "red" weather warning for exceptionally strong winds in western parts of Wales and north-western parts of England, while the Thames is predicted to rise to its highest level in more than 60 years in some places. On the day dubbed Wild Wednesday, gusts of 108mph hit Aberdaron on the Llyn Peninsula in north west Wales, while 96mph winds were recorded off the south coast of England at the Needles, on the Isle of Wight. The Met Office has forecast 2.75ins (70mm) of rain by Friday in the already-sodden West Country - more than the region would normally get in the whole of February - with south Wales, western Scotland, Northern Ireland and other parts of southern England also expected to bear the brunt of the deluge.

Leaf Powers Ahead As Europe's Best-Selling Car Vehicle

THE NUMBERS are in and, while recent months have seen a flurry of new electric car launches, one car reigns supreme in this emerging sector. With a record-breaking 2013 behind it, Nissan’s Leaf topped the charts in Europe with 11,120 sales – a massive 204 percent rise compared to 2012. Furthermore Nissan is keen to point out that the Leaf is head and shoulders above its nearest rivals, achieving 25 percent more sales than its closest competitor.

Skoda Adds Rapid Spaceback And Yeti To Motability Scheme

THE WAIT is over and Czech car maker Skoda has added its two newest models to the Motability Scheme. Both the all-new Rapid Spaceback and the facelifted Yeti crossover are accessible through the programme to individuals receiving the Higher Rate Mobility Component of the Disability Living Allowance. Key to the cars appeal will be the high levels of practicality and interior space available from both models, coupled with a nil Advance Payment on selected variants.

Fiat 500L gets a helping hand from P Diddy (video)

Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs gives Fiat a helping hand with the 500L Fiat has done well to convince a trendy section of American car buyers that the Fiat 500 is a funky, cute and desirable runaround – especially if you live in the city. But having effectively put all their eggs in the 500 basket, they have the problem of convincing sceptical US car buyers that the much bigger Fiat 500L is an appealing – and much more practical – proposition for families. So Fiat has enlisted Sean Combs (P Diddy, Puff Daddy, Diddy or whatever moniker he’s using this week) to give the Fiat 500L a bit of much needed profile.

Is this the new Mazda RX-7?

Word on the street has Mazda resurrecting the Mazda RX-7, this time as an agile, lightweight, two-seat coupe with a next-gen 250-hp rotary engine. The company penciled in a 2015-16 launch date. The price will hover around $30,000—cheaper than a Porsche Cayman, more expensive than a Scion FR-S/Subaru BRZ.

One Lap of the Web: DTM memories, Hemi anniversary, and one ugly motorcycle

-- Hot Rod Magazine dives deep into the cylinder bores of the 426 Hemi, which celebrates its 50th birthday this year. Elana Scherr's chat with Don Garlits at a Waffle House in Ocala, Florida has to be the most inspired thing to ever happen at a Waffle House. Check it out here.

Bad weather sees 'carnage' on roads

HIGH WINDS AND SNOW have caused "carnage" on some Scottish roads, according to police. Warnings of high winds and snow are in place throughout much of Scotland. The southern tip of Dumfries and Galloway is predicted to suffer from the same severe low pressure system that is causing major problems south of the border, although weather warnings are less severe throughout the rest of Scotland.

Renault reveals new 2014 Twingo on Twitter

Renault This is the first picture of Renault’s new 2014 Twingo city car, which will make its debut at next month’s Geneva Motor Show 2014 before going on sale in the UK later this year. The funky new urban hatchback has been revealed on Twitter with the official hashtag #UndressNewTwingo. It’s thought the new 2014 Twingo will cost about £8,000 when it goes on sale in Britain later this year.

Renault Twingo (2014) first official pictures

By Damion Smy First Official Pictures 13 February 2014 23:01 This is the new Renault Twingo that’s due to arrive in showrooms this September. Renault’s smallest model bar the quirky Twizy, the third-gen Twingo is the first in the car’s 24-year history to come with five doors. The all-new model has been co-developed with Mercedes, which will use it for its Smart ForTwo and ForFour models.

New Renault Twingo revealed ahead of Geneva 2014 debut

Renault claims to have revolutionised the city car segment just over 20 years ago with the original Twingo – a small, cheap and frugal car that was great for punting around the back streets of Paris. For 2014 the Renault Twingo is back – and how, with the new third-gen car sporting some clever and innovative features. Volkswagen, SEAT and Skoda, watch out: there’s a new urban runabout in town.

World Car Design of the Year 2014 award shortlist revealed

The BMW i3 and Volkswagen XL1 are amongst the contenders for the World Car Design of the Year award as the top 10 finalists in each category of the tenth annual World Car Awards are announced. The full shortlist of nominees for the 2014 World Car Design of the Year Award are: BMW i3; Cadillac CTS; Citröen C4 Picasso; Lexus IS; Mazda3; Mercedes-Benz C-Class; Volkswagen XLR1; Cadillac ELR; Range Rover Sport and Volkswagen XL1. As in previous years for the World Car Design of the Year award, a panel of five design experts reviews all candidates before writing up recommendations for the jury of 69 international automotive journalists to consider.

Sinkhole at National Corvette Museum consumes eight rare cars

Update: The National Corvette Museum has released a video of the sinkhole, which we've embedded below. Museum personnel are reportedly in the process of removing other cars from risky areas. We'll be sure to bring you more information as it becomes available.

Eight-wheeled Eldorado up for Australian auction

The Greatest Cadillac in the World does not reside in Reno, or Gainesville, or the LBC. Or even America. Or even North America.

Commuting 'makes workers miserable'

COMMUTER MISERY is most profound in people who have to travel for an hour to an hour and a half, a new report suggests. Those who have to travel to get to work have lower life satisfaction, a lower sense that their daily activities are worthwhile, are less happy and have higher anxiety than non-commuters, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said. And the worst length of time to travel is between 61 and 90 minutes, according to the latest ONS report on commuting and personal well-being.

New Ferrari California T gets new twin turbo V8 with 49% more torque (+video)

The new California T (pictured) revealed ahead of a Geneva debut It’s been a long time since Ferrari gave one of its cars a turbo charged engine, not since the late ’80s and the Ferrari F40, but that all changes – and no doubt points the way to the future – as the Ferrari California T gets revealed ahead of a debut next month at the Geneva Motor Show. Based on the V8 Ferrari build for the Maserati Ghibli, the California T’s new engine is a 3.8 litre twin turbo with 552bhp and a mountain of torque, 557lb/ft, a massive 49 per cent more than the current California produces. That improves performance marginally – 0-62mph in 3.6 seconds and a top speed of 196mph – but has a big impact on economy; the new California T improves on the current California by 15 per cent, recording official figures of 27mpg and 250g/km.

Fire up the Quattro: Ashes to Ashes Audi up for auction

This isn’t a replica, this is the actual Audi Quattro as driven by DCI Gene Hunt in the TV series Ashes to Ashes. It’s a 1993 Audi Quattro UR 2.1-litre Turbo that’s covered 106,204 miles. And it’s currently for sale as part of a no-reserve auction on eBay, meaning you could potentially pick up this legendary Quattro for a bit of a steal.

McLaren 650S to make Geneva debut

McLaren Automotive The McLaren 650S will be the star of the British brand’s display at the 2014 Geneva motor show, it has been confirmed. At this stage McLaren has revealed little other than the name, and a close-up shot of the car’s badge. It says, however, that the 650S “takes learnings from both the 12C as well as the sell-out McLaren P1 and will be positioned between the two on McLaren Automotive’s supercar grid”.

Ferrari California T: pictures and details confirmed for 2014 Geneva Motor Show

The Ferrari California T has been revealed ahead of its official debut at the 2014 Geneva Motor Show next month. The drop-top car is a heavily revised version of the current California, with sleeker bodywork and a new turbocharged V8 engine that’s more powerful yet more efficient than the one it replaces. Click through the gallery above to find out more about the Ferrari California T

Ferrari California T (2014) first official pictures

By Ollie Kew First Official Pictures 12 February 2014 13:30 Any new Ferrari is a big deal in the car world, but this new Ferrari California T is extra-special. Not only have the Italians finally morphed the ugly duckling of the range into something rather sleeker, it's boosted by turbochargers. That's the reason for the 'T' suffix on the California T's name, and makes this the first forced-induction Ferrari since the iconic F40 supercar.

One Lap of the Web: Janky Jettaminos, scary supercars and a two-wheeled tour of the Packard plant

-- Our friend Corbin is back! And he's got an even more terrifying car this time: the Jettamino, a Volkswagen Jetta diesel with the structural stability of a pool noodle and the hipster styling of an LCD Soundsystem reunion tour on wheels. (Fabric wheelarches have never been done before, for good reason.) Somehow, Corbin suckered his friend David into chopping off the roof.

Illegal school parking 'should be fined'

DRIVERS who park illegally when dropping off or collecting their children from school should be fined. A large number of drivers (86%) say they agree with trials by councils to catch school run drivers who park on zig-zag lines at pedestrian crossings, even if they stop for only a few seconds. Several local councils, including Enfield in north London and York boroughs, are now using CCTV cameras to capture illegal parking.

SEAT hints at new Nurburgring lap record

Repeated references to the Nurburgring during the press conference at the launch of the new SEAT Leon Cupra strongly suggest that the 280hp hot hatch has broken the front-wheel drive lap record. SEAT is waiting until the 2014 Geneva Motor Show before saying any more, but has already hinted that its new Leon Cupra is significantly faster than the current Renaultsport Megane record holder. On Bing: see pictures of the new SEAT Leon Cupra at the Nurburgring SEAT Leon Cupra and Cupra 280 review (2014 onwards) To set a new front-wheel drive production car record on the Nordschleife, the SEAT Leon Cupra would have to lap the 13-mile circuit – actually a public toll road that now plays a vital part in new car development – in less than 8 minutes and 7.97 seconds.

2014 World Car Awards shortlist announced

The shortlist of finalists for the 2014 World Car Awards (WCAs) has been announced, revealing the cars that will compete for the 2014 World Car of the Year, as well as the World Luxury Car, the World Performance Car, the World Green Car and the World Car Design 2014 awards. MSN Cars’ very own Peter Burgess is amongst the 69 global motoring journalists who have whittled down the contenders in each of the categories – there are supposed to be 10 of each, but some tied results at this stage mean some of the awards have slightly more finalists this year. The next stage reduces the field down to three cars vying for each award.

Geneva motor show 2014: CAR’s A-Z guide

By the CAR online team Motor Shows 12 February 2014 16:00 The 84th Geneva motor show kicks off on 6 March 2014, showcasing the latest in new production cars and outlandish concept designs. Headline debutants at this year’s event include the new twin-turbocharged Ferrari California T, Audi’s first series production hot supermini, the new Mercedes S-class Coupe, and a hardcore McLaren 12C 650S model to take on the Ferrari 458 Speciale. Click the links below to jump straight to CAR’s latest articles on the new cars of the 2014 Geneva motor show.