Blog on 2040Parts

Porsche 918 Spyder spotted in south LA

The Porsche 918 Spyder is nearing its customer delivery date, which means we're seeing more and more of them on public roads. Observant reader Michael Fuschi spotted an example of the new car heading south from Los Angeles. If you're wondering about the yellow car that the photos are being taken from, it's a Lamborghini Gallardo.

Latest cars crash tested by Euro NCAP

CRASH TEST results have been announced by the European vehicle safety body Euro NCAP, after testing of the latest new cars to reach the market. Amongst the vehicles tested were the Mercedes-Benz CLA, the Jeep Cherokee, the Peugeot 2008 and the Suzuki SX4. Despite varying on cost and size, all four of the vehicles tested scored the maximum five star overall rating.

Relatives of older drivers urged to help them ‘hang up their keys’

OLDER DRIVERS whose driving style may have changed or are less able behind the wheel should be aided by relatives in deciding when to hang up their keys, according to an industry expert. Professor Andrew Parks, a chief scientist at the Transport Research Laboratory, warns in a new video interview that older drivers can be very defensive about their driving standards and react badly to any criticism of it. "I know this from my own experience, as I was recently on a car journey driven by my father, the first for 10 years,” he explaned.

Honda S660 Concept revealed – the Honda Beat returns

The Honda S660 Concept (pictured) will debut at the 2013 Tokyo Motor Show It looks like Honda is making a return to the Kei car with the arrival of the Honda S660 Concept ahead of the Tokyo Motor Show next month. The Kei class of car in Japan is small (less than 3.4 metres long) and comes with a raft of tax breaks for buyers, but despite it being designed just for Japan it’s gained a cult following round the world, and now the Honda Beat for the 21st century has arrived in the form of the S660 concept. The S660 Concept – it gets the required maximum 660cc Kei engine limit – is a mid-engined open top roadster that manages to deliver 64bhp from its 3-cylinder engine which, with a weight under 900kg, should be reasonably lively.

One Lap of the Web: supercars and not-so-super cars

-- This has been a busy week for 'Ring records, and it's only Wednesday. The latest unconfirmed report is that the McLaren P1 may have set a time of 6:47 around the course. That would make it the fastest car to ever lap the course, being a full second faster than the Radical SR8 LM.

Mazda sells 10 millionth car in America

The first car Mazda ever sold in America was the R100, a cute lil' two-door fastback that was, unsurprisingly, rotary-powered. The year was 1970. Iggy Pop had made that much explicitly clear with "1970." Just imagine how weird it must have been for Americans to wrap their minds around some tiny Japanese upstart, selling a car approximately the size of a 1970 Cadillac Fleetwood Brougham's wheelwell, powered by -- what's this, German technology?

Local Motors Active Lifestyle Vehicle Challenge winner announced

The winner of the first Local Motors Active Lifestyle Vehicle Challenge has been revealed as John Bukasa, who won $1,500 for his CLIMAX design. This was the first contest held as part of the annual Lifestyle Vehicle of the Year awards – which are in their tenth year – hosted by Carspondent, which celebrates the cars that best cater for people leading active lives. The brief challenged designers to develop a concept that enhances its owner's performance as an athlete or active adult/family.

HPP turns Challenger into Superbird

Those of you pining for the high-winged days of the Dodge Charger Daytona and Plymouth Superbird can open up your checkbooks and make one payable to Heide Performance Products out of Madison Heights, Mich. The company can turn any Dodge Challenger into a '70s-inspired pavement burner, though they leave the actual pavement-burning modifications up to you: the Superbird/Daytona kit is an appearance upgrade only. The full kit comes with a nose cone assembly ($5,999), three-piece wing ($2,499), functional Shaker hood and scoop ($2,499), rear aluminum louvers ($899), HPP Challenger hood pins ($179), Daytona or Superbird taillight overlays ($189), fender gills ($89), pistol-grip shift lever ($149) and rear diffuser ($1,299), or a total of $13,800.

Infiniti Q50 Executive – it’s for business users

Infiniti Q5 Executive – it’s for business users The new Infiniti Q50 (replacement for the old G37) was revealed at the Detroit Auto Show in January, prices for the Q50 were revealed in June (starts at £27,950) and comes in three trim levels – SE, Premium and Sport – but it seems there will be an additional trim option – the Infiniti Q50 Executive. With an eye to business sales in Europe, Infiniti has decided there needs to be a trim level aimed at business buyers (or those who do big miles), so they’re offering an Executive trim level for the 2.2 diesel version. As well as the normal equipment levels on the Q50 (which are pretty decent anyway) the Executive option gets, according to Infiniti, “One of the most advanced satellite navigation systems” plus some decent finance packages.

New Mercedes S Class to use Maybach badge on top models?

Will the top-end Mercedes S-Class models get the Maybach badge? (S63 AMG pictured) Having tried to bring the Maybach badge back from the history books and build a car to compete with Rolls Royce, Mercedes finally admitted it hadn’t worked last year and called time on their Maybach adventure. But having spent untold millions on reviving the Maybach name – and giving it public awareness – it seems Mercedes may not be prepared to shelve the Maybach name completely as there seem to be plans afoot to badge the extra long Mercede S Class with the Maybach badge.

Jeep introduces 2014 Wrangler Polar Edition for winter

The 2014 Jeep Wrangler Polar Edition first made its debut at the Frankfurt motor show this past September, showing off its new front grille, gloss black alloy wheels and polar white interior finishes. The winter Wrangler will arrive in showrooms this November, just in time for the snowy season. The Polar Edition takes inspiration from the great outdoors, incorporating Jeep's 4x4 capability as well as new design cues taken from the severe climate and extreme conditions that characterize the Antarctic region.

Government reveals plans to cut cost of motoring

Whiplash cheats are to be targeted in plans announced by the Government today to drive down the cost of motoring. From next year, only evidence from accredited professionals will be considered in whiplash claims, meaning cheats will no longer be able to get away with exaggerated or fraudulent compensation claims. Is Government policy on green cars too successful?

One of one: unique 1,000hp Lotec Mercedes supercar for sale

Think the 1,000hp Bugatti Veyron was groundbreaking? What if we told you there was a Mercedes-Benz supercar with the same power output back in 1995 – a decade earlier than the Bugatti – and one that also claimed a higher top speed? Meet the Lotec C1000.

Honda set to debut S660 roadster concept at Tokyo motor show

Honda will take the wraps off the S660 roadster concept at the upcoming Tokyo motor show at the end of November of this year. Honda fans have admittedly been shortchanged when it comes to the roadster bodystyle from the Japanese automaker, with the S2000 having left production back in 2009. Honda could remedy this gap in its lineup with a production version of the S660 roadster.

Government bid to cut driving options

PLANS DESIGNED to reduce petrol prices at motorway service stations and a freeze on the cost of the MoT test have been announced by the Government. A crackdown on whiplash injury fraud is also part of the driver-friendly package to be introduced from next year. Justice Secretary Chris Grayling said t he statutory maximum price of the MoT test for a car will be frozen at £54.85 until 2015 - potentially saving up to £50 million for drivers every year.

Fake ‘ghost’ car insurance on the rise

It’s not an early Halloween joke – ‘ghost brokering’ fake insurance policies is on the rise in the UK, becoming one of the latest fraud scams in a long line of car insurance rip-offs. According to anti-scam website Action Fraud, around 20,000 British motorists have already fallen foul of this new form of car insurance crime – so what is ghost brokering and how can you avoid it? Top 5 car insurance scams revealed Massive car insurance frauds Ghost insurance brokers target drivers looking for cheap car insurance – these criminals will often act as insurance intermediaries offering to get you the best deal on your car cover.

Audi planning a version of the VW Up!

Audi planning their own version of the VW Up! (pictured) The German premium car makers – Audi, BMW and Mercedes – are in a battle to see who can sell the most ‘Premium’ cars. And Audi has big plans to stay in the race.

Dramatic CCTV footage shows consequences of tyre failure

AS A PART of October's Tyre Safety Month initiative the Highways Agency have released dramatic footage of the consequences of tyre failure. In the clip, viewable on the Highways Agency YouTube channel, motorway cameras capture the moment a front tyre explodes on a large lorry, sending it out of control and into the central reservation in a spectacular crash. Further clips show the chaos caused when all three lanes of a motorway are closed to retrieve tyre debris, and the eye-watering £2 million cost of a lorry fire caused by tyre failure results in all six lanes of a motorway being shut for hours.

MPs call for parking charge reports

COUNCILS should publish annual parking-charge reports to show where revenue comes from and where it is being used, MPs said today. The use of parking charges and fines specifically to raise revenue was "neither acceptable nor legal" said Louise Ellman, chairman of the House of Commons Transport Committee. Launching a report by her committee into local authority parking enforcement in England, Mrs Ellman said: "There is a deep-rooted public perception that parking enforcement is used as a cash cow, so it's essential that local authorities apply stringent transparency." The committee said local authorities in England had a collective parking surplus in the hundreds of millions of pounds, but that the exact amount was subject to debate.

Crackdown on bogus claims helps insurance costs fall by 12%

CAR INSURANCE premiums have plunged at a record rate of 12% year-on-year amid a tougher clampdown to combat bogus motor accident claims which add to the costs of everyone's policies. The typical quote for annual comprehensive car insurance cover was £568 in October, marking a 4.5% drop on July and a 12.4% fall on a year ago, according to the latest AA Insurance premium index, which takes the average of the five cheapest quotes on the market. This is the biggest annual slide that the AA has on its records, which go back to 1994, and marks a sharp turnaround for motorists following a period of strong increases, with premiums rising by more than 40% just two years ago.

Honda S660 sports car concept (2013) first official pictures

By Ollie Kew First Official Pictures 23 October 2013 12:00 This is the Honda S660, a 21st Century adaptation of the brand’s S600 sports car, first seen in the 1960s. The tiny two-seater roadster will be shown off at the Tokyo motor show in November 2013, but before you get too excited about a Honda roadster revival, we’ve got bad news. Even if the S660 did get green-lighted for series production, Honda UK has confirmed to CAR the S660 ‘is not destined for Britain.’ Looking very similar to 2011’s electric EV-STER concept, the S660 swaps batteries for internal combustion power, and ushers in an interior not pinched from the set of Star Trek, indicating a step closer to showroom-ready condition.

Government plans to cut the cost of motoring explained

Freeborn Group The government has today announced measures it says will drive down the cost of running a car. But will motorists notice a difference, or will it just be a drop in the ocean? Here, MSN Cars runs through the key changes announced today, and explains how they will affect you.

Hyundai adds Fox Marketing Veloster to SEMA display

Hyundai continued its SEMA effort on Wednesday with the most powerful street-focused Veloster Turbo yet. It will be on display in Las Vegas, Nov. 5-8.

New 2014 Mercedes C-Class interior revealed

Ahead of its debut at the Detroit Motor Show in January 2014, Mercedes-Benz has revealed details of the all-new C-Class interior. And if the photos and specification are anything to go by, the gap between the S-Class and the C-Class is about to get narrower. As is becoming increasingly common in the automotive world, strong influence has been drawn from smartphones and tablets, with Mercedes-Benz also leaning heavily on airline and aircraft references.

Caterham announces cut-price Seven 160 sports car

BRITISH sports car maker Caterham has announced a new low- priced version of its long-running Seven model. Dubbed the Seven 160, the new model starts at a measly £14,995 in component form or £17,995 fully built. Under the bonnet there is a turbocharged 660cc Suzuki engine and although this only offers up a modest 80bhp, that's still enough to power the lightweight Seven from 0-60mph in 6.5 seconds.

Misconduct behind Charles Morgan dismissal

New documents have emerged showing Charles Morgan was sacked from Morgan Motor Company due to four counts of alleged misconduct. Information seen by Autocar outlines that the decision was made by the members of the board of Morgan Technologies – a panel on which some of Charles Morgan’s own family sit. On Bing: see pictures of Morgan cars Find out how much a used Morgan costs on Auto Trader In a board meeting earlier this year – held while then company strategy director Morgan was away on leave due to health problems – Morgan Motor Company executives determined that Charles Morgan had posed as company chairman, despite his demotion back in February 2013.

Consulatation on 20mph speed limit

BIRMINGHAM City Council has launched a public consultation on plans which could see around 90% of roads in the city given a 20mph speed limit. The authority believes the "20 is Plenty" scheme, costing around £7 million, would make residential streets safer and transport networks more sustainable. Key routes would keep higher speed limits under the long-term proposals, but public feedback is also being sought on whether the 20mph scheme should also be considered for busy high street shopping areas, around schools, leisure facilities, hospitals and public transport interchanges.

Jaws and Pussy Galore visit Bond attraction

TWO ICONIC characters from the James Bond franchise - Jaws and Pussy Galore - will appear at Beaulieu Motor Museum's Bond In Motion exhibition this November. Richard Kiel, who played the steel-toothed Jaws in The Spy Who Loved Me and Moonraker, and Honor Blackman, who played Pussy Galore in Goldfinger, will be visiting the exhibition between 10.30am and 4.00pm on 30th November and 1st December 2013. Visitors to the exhibition will have the opportunity to purchase Richard's autobiography, Making It Big in the Movies, and both Richard and Honor will be available to sign purchases and for photographs.

Cyclists urged to make themselves visible

CYCLISTS have been warned to take precautions to make themselves easier to see, in time for the darker evenings of winter time. The clocks are set to wind back by an hour this Sunday, bringing darkness down on homeward commutes and making collisions involving cyclists statistically more likely. A survey of 1,000 cyclists, carried out by Autoglass, found that 48% had been caught without lights or high-visibility clothing when the clocks go back.

Peugeot to create UK’s largest car wash for Children in Need

Peugeot is once again getting set to raise money for Children in Need. Following on from 2012’s Dream Wheels campaign, for 2013 Peugeot is setting up the UK’s largest charity car wash. The Peugeot Children in Need car wash will run at Peugeot sites across the country 5-10 November, with a fund-raising target of £250,000.