Blog on 2040Parts

NHTSA probing coolant leak in Porsche 911?

In another embarrassing failure to understand what they're supposed to be regulating, the NHTSA has announced that they are investigating a “coolant leak” in Porsche 911s that were built with the GT1 engine block between 2001 and 2007. Maybe when they said coolant, they were talking about the oil that circulates in a 911 to keep the engine cool? Next thing you know, they'll be checking out fuel pumps on the Tesla Model S!

Video shows Audi R18 'long tail' e-tron quattro's blistering Monza run

Audi has had a pretty solid run at the 24 Hours of Le Mans over the past decade, but we're glad they keep pushing the envelope. That's how they keep devising road-going spaceships like the staggeringly fast R18 e-tron quatto equipped with a “long tail” aerodynamic package. This quick video of the “long tail” hybrid testing at Monza gives us a preview of what we can expect at Spa next month -- and hints at what we'll see at Le Mans in June.

Michigan summer car events list

The Motor City is gearing up for a summer of events that celebrate the region's automotive heritage. A total of 16 automotive events will take place throughout Metro Detroit this summer, and everything kicks off the weekend of May 31 with the Chevrolet Detroit Belle Isle Grand Prix. The race weekend features the first Izod IndyCar doubleheader, the Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car series and Pirelli World Challenge Championship series.

2014 model year on-sale dates

Anyone shopping for a new car will likely be curious about when the latest models will be available. Always the good samaritans, we scoured our auto-show coverage for details regarding 2014 model-year availability. We don't know exact dates down to month and day, but the estimates below provide a fair picture of when these cars will roll onto dealer lots.

How Fisker fell apart

At last week's politically charged congressional hearing on the troubles of Fisker Automotive, Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, said that the company had "no business acumen" and that "taxpayers have effectively subsidized luxury novelty vehicles for the likes of Justin Bieber, Leonardo DiCaprio and Al Gore." Ouch. Republicans eager to score points against President Obama had a field day last week with Fisker.

McLaren P1 tests in Arctic, MP4-12C at drag strip

McLaren has produced less than a handful of road cars in its 50-year existence, and they've all been hits. The company currently sells two cars for the street: the P1 and the MP4-12C, and they both require the “super” moniker. The McLaren P1 made its debut at the Paris motor show in September, and has been the subject of many analyses ever since.

Why the Stingray's $52K sticker should come with an asterisk

General Motors resisted the urge to jack up the price on the 2014 Corvette Stingray, despite major enhancements on the seventh-generation sports car. The $51,995* sticker for the coupe, which is expected to hit showrooms by September, is just 1,400 bucks more than the current model, even with its more powerful engine, better fuel economy and vastly improved interior. Why the asterisk?

Spyker B6 Venator Spyder on the way

But much of that will probably depend on real buyers stumping up real money to get on the waiting list for a car we still don’t know a great deal about (in particular what underpins it) but which does look good and manages to encompass Spyker’s traditional styling cues whilst still conspiring to look very current. Now, buried amongst the latest financial report from Spyker – which shows no real turnover or profit, loans in to shares and an injection of cash from Youngman – comes the news that Victor is already getting a bit ahead of himself again with plans to reveal the B6 Venator Spyder later this year. That looks a bit of a ‘run before you can walk’ scenario for Spyker - especially as Victor says production of the C8 Aileron will gather pace this year and the D8 Peking-to-Paris SUV will be a priority – but if Spyker can produce a Venator Spyder that looks as good as the coupe it may be the right way forward.

Audi Q8 confirmed, or is it the Audi Q9?

We’ve long wondered when Audi would get round to expanding its range of ‘Q’ badged SUVs to include sporty coupe SUVs as well as a new range-topper bigger than the Q7. But Audi Chairman chairman, Rupert Stadler, said back in 2011 that Audi was inclined to ignore the sector above the Q7 and instead concentrate on more compact SUVs. Which makes sense for the European market, but does it makes sense for China and the USA?

Land Rover Defender LXV celebrates 65 years of Land Rover

As part of the celebrations at Packington Estate – which was the original testing ground for the 1948 Defender prototypes – Land Rover are launching a celebratory Defender special edition – the Land Rover Defender LXV – based on the standard Defender and available in five different body styles and with the 2.2 litre diesel engine and 6-speed manual ’box. The Defender LXV gets the sort of toys no one could ever have envisaged on those early Defenders, including a Santorini Black or Fuji White paint job with Corris Grey roof, grille and headlight surrounds, full leather seats with orange contrast stitching, lots of ‘LXV’ badges and even the option of a Union flag on the back. John Edwards, LR’s Global Brand Director, said: Land Rover is celebrating 65 years of proud heritage.

McLaren 12C Can-Am & Historic McLaren Can-Ams at 2013 Goodwood FoS

It seems it was, because by November McLaren revealed the 12C Can Am was going in to limited production – just 30 units at £375,000 each – for deep-pocketed Americans to go track day racing with a 12C that weighs in at 1200kg, gets a few extra horses and 30 per cent more downforce compared to the road going 12C. So with a new track car and a 50th anniversary to celebrate in 2013, McLaren has decided it’s a good idea to take the 12C Can-Am off to play on the Goodwood hillcimb this summer at the 2013 Festival of Speed and, for added interest, take along a selection of models from their heritage collection – the ultimate McLaren racers of the 1960s and 70s – for our delight. McLaren has also given us a teaser video of the M8D Can-Am Racer (below) as a taster of what visitors to this year’s FoS can look forward too, yet another reason to get yourself down to Sussex in July.

One Lap of the Web: The lost F-Type, a velvet Panamera and Lutz on being king

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. -- Long before there was a Jaguar F-Type, there was the XJ41, originally conceived to be a lightweight successor to the XKE.

Renault spy scandal: Former COO 'had to leave'

Patrick Pelata fell on his sword to save his boss and friend -- and maybe his company. Pelata, often called one of the industry's best product strategists, was part of a small team of executives Carlos Ghosn brought to Nissan Motor Co. in 1999 after Renault bought a controlling stake in the Japanese company.

One lap of the Web: Amphibious awesomeness, retro Land Rovers and a toy Toyota engine

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. -- Looks like the Willow Run assembly plant outside of Ypsilanti, Mich.

Bugatti reveals footage of record-setting open-top run

In case there was any doubt, Bugatti posted footage on Monday of its $2.6 million Veyron Grand Sport Vitesse hitting a record-setting 254.04 mph at Volkswagen's Ehra-Lessien test track. Chinese racing driver Anthony Liu was behind the wheel. If you'll remember, when Bugatti had its hardtop top-speed record pulled, it quickly set this test in motion to quiet any detractors.

Ford SVT Raptor designers tell all -- Video interview

We recently brought you road test editor Jonathan Wong whipping the Ford SVT Raptor through an intense off-road course. Now we talk with two top Ford designers charged with developing one of our favorite beasts. Jamal Hameedi, global performance vehicle chief engineer, and Bruce Williams, senior exterior designer, explain how they overcame design challenges and corporate resistance to turn out the ultimate F-150.

Cadillac ATS coupe confirmed

General Motors plans to introduce a coupe version of its Cadillac ATS compact next year, one in a spate of vehicle introductions for the luxury brand. Several dealers told Automotive News they were shown an ATS coupe at a national dealer meeting in Las Vegas this month. Also unveiled to dealers was the 2015 Escalade, which is expected to go into production in January.

Make money from your electric vehicle

Imagine if your Nissan Leaf or Mitsubishi iMiEV started earning its own car payment every month in the form of a rebate check from your local utility. A small (for now) startup in Palo Alto, Calif. called EV Grid Inc.

2014 Toyota 4Runner gets mid-cycle refresh

The Toyota 4Runner is getting a mid-cycle refresh for 2014. The Japanese giant gave the SUV a new exterior treatment, interior refinements and added some comfort and convenience options. The 270-hp, 4.0-liter V6 is the only engine available.

Volvo V60 Plug-in Hybrid: Production to double to cope with demand

It’s particularly appealing if you like a car with a decent turn of speed – the V60 will do 0-62mph in 6.1 seconds – like the reassurance and practicality of 4WD – the V60′s electric motor drives the back wheels – drive in to London on a regular basis – the 48g/km emissions are congestion charge free – and get taxed as BIK from your company. If all those apply – and you already appreciate the Volvo V60 is a very good car to start with – then the V60 plug-in hybrid is a bit of a no-brainer, even with a headline price of nearly £50k (which gets within £6k of an equivalent non plug-in after the taxpayer has chipped in). It seems that many buyers agree, and Volvo is being inundated with orders.

Bugatti Veyron Grand Sport Vitesse world speed record: Video

We hoped that tease might be for something really interesting and new – perhaps the much rumoured 1600bhp Veyron or even the Galibier –  but it was simply a new world record for an open-topped production car. Impressive, of course, but just more of what we expect from Bugatti, rather than something new and innovative. The new world record for the Vitesse was set at the VW facility at Ehra-Lessien where Chinese driver Anthony Liu took the Veyron Grand Sport Vitesse to 254mph, creating a new world record for an open-topped production car and, more importantly for Bugatti, an excuse to produce a limited run of the Veyron Grand Sport Vitesse WRC Edition with a black and orange paint job for €1.99 million each.

11 excuses cops have already heard

"Everyone else was doing it," and "I had to go to the bathroom" extend beyond excuses used in a kindergarten classroom -- they actually top the most common excuses drivers use to get out of a ticket. Insurance.com surveyed 500 licensed drivers age 18 and over in February 2013 to find this list of top excuses we use when getting pulled over. 20.4 percent of drivers have tried: I couldn't see the sign telling me not to do it.

Spied: 2014 Corvette Stingray Indy pace car

UPDATE: The Stingray has indeed been named the 2013 Indy 500 pace car; check out details and photos here We've suspected that the 2014 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray would earn a place of honor as the pace car for the 2013 Indy 500. Now, spy photos of a safety-light-equipped C7 caught testing at the General Motors proving grounds in Milford, Mich. seem to confirm our hunch.

Chrysler first-quarter profits down

Chrysler Group said net income fell to $166 million in the first quarter as costs of two large product launches crimped the automaker's seventh consecutive quarterly profit. Profit fell 65 percent from the $473 million posted during the same quarter of 2012, Chrysler said in a statement today. First-quarter revenues dropped 6 percent to $15.4 billion.

Mercedes mbrace tech tracked Boston Marathon bombers

Carjacking a Mercedes-Benz M class proved to be a critical mistake for the alleged Boston Marathon bombers. When the driver escaped and called police, officers were able to track the vehicle using the crossover's factory-installed GPS system. Police decline to give details, but Mercedes-Benz USA confirmed it was contacted April 19 during the hunt for Tamerlan and Dzhokhar Tsarnaev.

Rolls Royce Wraith Convertible planned & the Wraith hits Harrods

That means the Wraith gets a stiffened suspension setup to stop it rolling too much and more weight to the steering so you have a chance of knowing where the front wheels are at any given moment. It’s a promising offering from Rolls Royce, but it looks as though the Wraith won’t be a stand-alone model but will be joined, in due course, by a convertible version for those who find the Wraith Coupe not quite ostentatious enough. Who’d have guessed?

London Congestion Charge: Buy 76-100g/km car NOW to get 3 years free of charge

Whether you think the London Congestion Charging Zone is a great way to clean up the air quality of the capital or just another way to tax motorists, you’re going to struggle even more to avoid it after the emission exemption levels are changed on 1st July so only cars emitting 75g/km CO2 or less will be exempt from the charge, Boris says the new lower level is necessary because car makers have worked their socks off to produce small diesel cars with the ability to hit the magic sub 100g/km emissions level in recent years, and that means London is suffering from air pollution as a result. The only answer, apparently, is to drop the limit to 75g/km or less to make those ‘dirty’ diesels pay their way. By reducing the limit to 75g/km you are effectively only allowing EVs and Plug-ins an exemption from congestion charging, thereby moving their emissions off to wherever the electricity they use is produced.

VW Group planning 10-speed DSG, new powerful diesel engine & more plug-in hybrids

The end of the internal combustion engine is nigh, they say, as the world tries to clean up its environmental act and works towards a goal of electric motors to power our personal transport. But car makers are fighting that belief by extracting more power for less fuel from ICE engines, and there’s still a very long way to go before the ICE engine is consigned to the history books. Volkswagen has already reduced the fuel consumption of both their diesel and petrol engines by 30 per cent since 2000 and plan a further reduction of 15 per cent by 2020.

New Maserati Ghibli could get 4.0 litre V8 Diesel

The V8 diesel is not exactly the most common engine on offer, but it is an engine Ford makes and is probably best known as the engine of choice in the new Range Rover and the new 2014 Range Rover Sport (finally). We’ve also been championing its credentials as a perfect V8 diesel engine for Jaguar’s XJ, but Jaguar don’t seem to be listening. But it’s not just Land Rover who’ve got a big V8 diesel in an appealing road car, Porsche also has the new Cayenne diesel S complete with a V8 diesel with oodles of torque, the promise of great headline economy when you’re poodling and a 0-62mph in just 5.7 seconds.

Ford Fiesta eWheelDrive gets wheel hub electric motors

The Ford Fiesta eWheelDrive – a driveable research vehicle built by Ford and German specialists Schaeffler – may be a regular supermini in size, but it points towards a potential future EV which is much more compact and very manoeuvrable. Ford has taken a regular Fiesta and dumped its powertrain, replacing it with a battery bank where the engine would be and fitted a pair of in-hub electric motors on the rear wheels. But the plan is to build new cars with the batteries under the floor which frees up the space under the bonnet which can then be all but removed to create a very compact urban car that still has space for four.