Blog on 2040Parts

Listen again to Autodesk VRED Professional for High End Image Production webinar

Autodesk presented its latest webinar, ‘VRED Professional for High End Image Production webinar' on 24 June. VRED Professional 2014 software helps users to create high-end visualizations and virtual prototypes in the automotive development process and CGI production. Visualization experts, marketers, and CGI artists can use the full power of its ray tracing render engine to produce realistic and compelling imagery that depict accurate physical characteristics of materials and lights in real time.

One Lap of the Web: Porsche at Le Mans, F-150 reclaims the flag and Foose talks classic rods

We spend a lot of time on the Internet -- pretty much whenever we're not driving, writing about or working on cars. Since there's more out there than we'd ever be able to cover, here's our daily digest of car stuff on the Web you may not otherwise have heard about. -- We covered the 24 Hours of Le Mans top to bottom including every make and class, but if your preferred marque is Porsche you might enjoy the Porsche Purist's look at how cars from Stuttgart fared during the endurance classic, complete with photos, stats and results.

Fiat 500L Trekking goes on sale: Price from £17,095

The Fiat 500L Trekkiing (pictured) is now on sale in the UK The Fiat 500L – Fiat’s 500 on steroids – went on sale back in December (and we’ve also had the 7-seat 500L MPW revealed), and now we get the rufty-tufty version of the 500L – the Fiat 500L Trekking – arriving in the UK, and costing from £17,095, just £700 more than the equivalent 500L without the butch bits. The 500L Trekking comes with Fiat’s Traction+, a clever traction technology that gives the 500L more grip on slippery surfaces, more rugged front and back treatments, bits of black plastic cladding and a set of 17″ alloys to make it look more suited to the boot sale car park than the regular 500L. Specification is based on the 500L Lounge – which means stuff like 5″ Touchscreen, Bluetooth, Hil Hold, electric door mirrors, Cruise, Climate, auto lights and wipers, electric windows and front fogs all come in the price.

Jaguar C-X75 Hybrid Supercar back in the spotlight

Jaguar release new photos of the C-X75 Supercar A few days ago we heard that the hybrid underpinnings of the canned Jaguar C-X75 were going to find their way in to the F-Type to produce a 700bhp monster. We had our doubts about that, but it does seem clear that Jaguar are not going to let the C-X75 just disappear in to oblivion. For reasons probably known only to Jaguar, they’ve suddenly decided to release a new set of photos (above) of the very good looking C-X75 in a fetching shade of blue – a better look than the pale metallic paint job on all the photos we’ve seen so far – despite the project being shelved.

New Nissan Micra costs from £9,950

New Nissan Micra Facelift (pictured) costs from £9,950 Although we saw the new facelift for the Nissan Micra in the guise of the overseas Nissan March in back in March, it took Nissan until this month to reveal the new Micra for the UK, and now we’ve got specifications and prices confirmed. Starting at £9,950 for the Micra Visia, all new Micra models come with a new front and back, upgraded interior with a new centre console, better materials and more equipment. The entry-level Visia gets Bluetooth, electric front windows, remote central locking and USB, with the mid-spec Acenta (from £11,550) adding alloys, leather steering wheel, Climate and Cruise.

One Lap of the Web: The Talented Mr. Honda, electric airplanes and Viper-powered Jensens

We spend a lot of time on the Internet -- pretty much whenever we're not driving, writing about or working on cars. Since there's more out there than we'd ever be able to cover, here's our daily digest of car stuff on the Web you may not otherwise have heard about. -- A blog post at Hemmings called our attention to this fascinating profile of Soichiro Honda, which was originally printed in the June 16, 1963 edition of the British newspaper The Observer.

2014 Maserati Ghibli order guide leaked online

The 2014 Maserati Ghibli order guide leaked online at ghibliforum.com over the weekend. From it we get a good view of the trims, engines and accessories for the Italian brand's new 5-series fighter. We already knew two engines -- twin-turbo V6s -- would be offered.

This week in 1994: We meet the Rolls-Royce Flying Spur

Rolls-Royce introduced the Flying Spur in 1994 as the fastest vehicle the brand had ever made. Its top speed was 140 mph and it flew to 60 mph in seven seconds flat with the help of the 6.75-liter turbocharged V8 under the hood. The only catch?

2014 Cadillac XTS Vsport priced at $63,020

We knew the 2014 XTS Vsport would get twin-turbo power, but now Cadillac has officially revealed the pricing and specs for the new high-powered XTS at a healthy $63,020, including destination. The 3.6-liter twin-turbo V6 delivers 410 hp and 369 lb-ft of torque and has an array of new features, including all-new cylinder block casting, strengthened connecting rods, more than 12 lbs. of boost from the two turbochargers and an all-new direct-injection fuel system.

International artists give Volvo XC60 a makeover

A 2014 Volvo XC60 was given a makeover at the third annual Volvo Art Session in Zurich, Switzerland, by a team of international artists. The event, which took place at Zurich's central train station, carried theme of ‘Designed Around You' and placed a white XC60 in front of a white dropback canvas. Artists were then set the task of transforming the car into a personal work of art, but which would only exist until the next artist took over and painted over it.

Drayson Racing and Michelin compete for EV record

Drayson Racing Technologies and Michelin are joining forces to make a run at the FIA World Electric Land Speed Record on Tuesday with the Drayson B12 69/EV prototype. In addition to a record attempt this will be a real-world test for the car, which will also compete in the 2014 FIA Formula E Championship. The car was originally powered by a 5.5-liter biofuel Judd engine, but it has now been converted to full electric drive.

Michael Schumacher’s Ferrari Enzo and Ferrari FXX both up for sale

Michael Schumacher’s Ferrari Enzo Pictures) is up for sale Michael Schumacher may have made his mark in motor racing history thanks to Ferrari, but now he’a a Mercedes man he seems to be divesting himself of his Ferrari cars. A dealer in Switzerland – no doubt not too far from Michael’s home – has two of his Ferraris up for sale at the moment, both at slightly ‘Premium’ prices. The first Schumacher Ferrari on the lot at Zenith in Lausanne is Michaels very own Enzo, finished in Ferrari Red) as you would expect) with a tan leather interior (which you wouldn’t).

Kia pro_cee’d GT goes on sale – price from £19,995

The new Kia pro_cee’d GT (pictured) is now on sale in the UK The Kia pro_cee’d GT – a decent stab at a hot hatch from Kia – arrived in January, ahead of a public debut at the 2013 Geneva Motor Show. And now it’s on sale in the UK. The pro_cee’d GT gets Kia’s 1.6 litre petrol aided by a turbo to produce appealing figures of 201bhp and 195lb/ft of torque, enough to scoot the GT to 62mph in 7.4 seconds and on to 143mph.

Top Gear Best of British Cars Parade on the Mall (video)

Top Gear Best of British Cars Parade on the Mall The new series of Top Gear (Series 20) starts next Sunday, and it looks like the segment on the new Jaguar F-Type is going to be Top Gear’s most ambitious shoot yet. Jeremy Clarkson Tweeted the photo above of the line-up on the Queen’s front drive (The Mall) as Top Gear seem to have dragged just about every British built vehicle with an engine and wheels out to play. Apart from the trio of F-Types leading the procession, there’s everything from a McLaren P1 – and a couple of 12Cs – by way of an Aston Martin One-77 to fire engines, Nissans, lawn mowers, motorbikes, a selection of F1 cars from Red Bull, McLaren et al, and any other metal you can imagine.

Are Bugatti plotting a Final Edition ‘Super’ Veyron?

Will the power of the Veyron Super Sport (pictured) grow to 1500bhp? The rumours that the Bugatti Veyron would, at some point, get more than its original 100bhp or so have been around seen the Veyron first launched. Eventually, Bugatti delivered and we got the Veyron Super Sport – with 1200bhp – back in 2010 which was, inevitably, followed by the convertible version in the guise of the Veyron Grand Sport Vitesse sporting 1200bhp and a hole to let the sky in.

700bhp Jaguar F-Type Coupe with the heart of the C-X75. Really?

Will the Jaguar F-Type Coupe really get 700bhp? We’ve been expecting the Jaguar F-Type Coupe to arrive ever since the F-Type Roadster was finally revealed. And it does seem likely it will bow in at Frankfurt in September.

Mercedes SLC (or Mercedes GT): It’s Official Spy photo time – again

Mercedes turn spy photographers for the baby SLS – the Mercedes SLC/GT It’s almost 4 years since we first revealed there were plans afoot at Mercedes-Benz to build a small, nimbler SLS to take on the Porsche 911 – a car subsequently dubbed the Mercedes SLC – but not until 2014. Well, 2014 is less than half a year away, Mercedes confirmed the SLC was in the mix and now we get a set of ‘spy’ photos of the SLC (or Mercedes GT, perhaps) – straight from Mercedes. It’s not the first time Mercedes has tried to put spy photographers out of business, as both the SLS had ‘official’ spy photos and video, as did the new Mercedes SLK.

Jaguar Land Rover aiming to double sales

Jaguar Land Rover plan to double sales We’ve got so used to reporting ever increasing sales for Jaguar and Land Rover that it comes as no big surprise that JLR are planning to double car sales by 2020. A few years ago such a figure would have been risible, but since Tata took the helm from Ford in 2008 the focus at JLR on creating a world beating brand and product has been unshakable. Tata got off to a good start with the Jaguar XF replacing the S-Type, and the new Jaguar XJ showing just how good a big luxury car can be to drive.

2015 Aston Martin V12 Vantage S priced at $184,995

Aston Martin, known for making some of the best- looking cars on the road today, has released the pricing for its new 2015 V12 Vantage S sports car, placing it at $184,995. Check here for our story covering the release of the car from earlier this month, but we'll give you a quick refresher below. Propelled by a 6.0-liter V12 making 565 hp and 457 lb-ft, the car can sprint from 0-60 mph in 3.7 seconds and achieve a top speed of 205 mph.

Tesla system will swap a Model S battery in 90 seconds

"This is the title fight," said Elon Musk, in typical brashness. "This is battery-powered versus gasoline." The Tesla CEO preached this to a crowd of Tesla owners and supporters while formally confirming the company's worst-kept secret: the fact that the Model S sedan's batteries were designed from the beginning to be swapped out. The system Tesla envisioned has plenty of ambitious, techno-wizardry automation, with a focus on as much convenience as possible: The Model S will drive over a pit containing machinery which automatically changes the battery from underneath in approximately 90 seconds -- and the driver doesn't even have to get out of the car.

2014 Maserati Ghibli S Q4 drive review

What is it? For those jaded by the prospect of yet another A6, 5-Series or E-Class, Italy proudly presents a pretty and powerful alternative. Although the new Maserati Ghibli is a conventional sedan -- an extra-curvaceous one, to be sure -- the trident-badge brand's leadership believes it can challenge the coupe-like competitors from Audi, BMW and Mercedes-Benz.

New Aston Martin V12 Vantage S quicker than Jaguar F-Type V8 S

The new Aston Martin V12 Vantage S (pictured) is Aston’s quickest car At the end of last month, as expected, and following the ending of production of the V12 Vantage, the new Aston Martin V12 Vantage S arrived. Aston proclaimed the new V12 Vantage S as the quickest production car they’d ever built (with the exception of the £1 million One-77) but declined to tell us exactly how quick it was. But now AML have finished playing with their stopwatch and declared the V12 Vantage S will get to 62mph in 3.9 seconds (0-60mph in 3.7s), an improvement of 0.3 seconds on the V12 Vantage and giving the V12 Vantage S the edge over the car we think it should be compared to – the new Jaguar F-Type V8 S.

Concept Car of the Week: Heuliez H4 (1972)

With the H4, Heuliez set out into unexplored territories by offering a concept tailored to the needs of taxi drivers. If today's minivans are an integral part of our daily lives, this Peugeot 204-based H4 should be placed back in its original context in the early ‘70s, when this monovolume architecture still belonged to science fiction. Its dimensions are comparable to a Renault Modus although it's shortened by 140mm.

One Lap of the Web: the Kitzb

We spend a lot of time on the Internet -- pretty much whenever we're not driving, writing about or working on cars. Since there's more out there than we'd ever be able to cover, here's our daily digest of car stuff on the Web you may not otherwise have heard about. -- Older Aston Martins can now be enjoyed by the public, as the automaker has opened their Heritage Showroom in England for all to see.

Watch part 1 of the Autoweek interview of Sebastian Vettel

The morning following his dominating win at the Canadian GP, we were given an opportunity to spend some time riding around with three-time and reigning Formula One World Champion Sebastian Vettel. Our conversation was long and it covered a number of topics. Rather than cut out a bunch of the interview and try to boil it into one short video, we've produced three videos.

Tesla Model S does battery swap in 90 seconds

Tesla can swap the batteries on a Model S in just 90 seconds The Tesla Model S was built from the start to offer battery swap as an alternative to a recharge. And now it’s become a reality. When Better Place revealed their plans – in conjunction with Renault – to offer Battery Swap technology we applauded it as a sensible way to make electric cars a more sensible mainstream option.

Nissan ZEOD RC electric Le Mans racer (2013) first pictures

This amazing-looking creation is the Nissan ZEOD RC, and its Nissan's latest, bravest attamept to make the electric car cool. Combining Nissan DeltaWing looks with powertrain know-how from the Nismo Leaf RC electric racer, the ZEOD RC will compete in the 2014 24 Hours of Le Mans endurance race. Let me guess: 'ZEOD RC' is an acronym for something techy...

Aston Martin Heritage Showroom will flog you a nice classic Aston

Now you can buy your Classic Aston Martin at Aston’s new Heritage Showroom (pictured) The world is full of Classic Car Dealers, but now, for the first time, you’ll be able to buy a classic Aston Martin from the people who made it in the first place. Aston Martin has gone back to its spiritual home to create a classic car showroom at Newport Pagnell, and has spent the last two years developing the old Olympia building to house their Classic Car offerings. The Olympia building, itself 100 years old and once an integral part of AML’s Newport Pagnell operations, has been fully refurbished and decorated in period style with not just lots of glorious classic Astons (and Lagondas) but displays of memorabilia from the factory heritage collection.

2013 Pilkington Design Awards winners announced

Royal College of Art Vehicle Design graduates Nir Siegel and Ian Slattery have taken top honors at the 26th annual Pilkington Vehicle Design Awards, held at the RCA in London. Jaguar designer Earl Beckles presented the award for Best Design Interpretation to Siegel for his Audi Genesis project, a vehicle that builds itself using 3D printing technology to the user's specifications, providing a new kind of owner experience. Beckles said that Siegel's idea was fresh and innovative, while also carrying an interesting story and development process.

Top Gear Series 20 starts on Sunday

Top Gear’s back on Sunday Top Gear is back with Series 20, starting this coming Sunday (30th June). On offer for the first episode (more details on Sunday morning) will be the arrival of the new ‘Reasonably Priced Car’ with help from the likes of Warwick Davis, Charles Dance and Joss Stone, a trip to New Zealand to race an America’s Cup Yacht and a hot hatch fight-off between the Renaultsport Clio 200, Peugeot 208 GTI and Ford Fiesta ST. Running over the next few weeks we’ll have a trio of supercars taking to the road in Spain, Taxis taking on Motorsport, Clarkson in the BAC Mono, the SLS AMG Black and AMG ED, Crossovers towing Caravans, a Hovercraft car for negotiating floods, the new Jaguar F-Type, the new Range Rover Sport, Ferrari F12 and much, much more.