Blog on 2040Parts

Bentley Continental Flying Spur (2013) first official pictures

Here’s the second-generation Flying Spur limousine, a refreshingly modernised Bentley that will take the fight to the Rolls-Royce Ghost and Mercedes’ new S-class. The exterior is transformed by crisply pressed surfaces, the interior is packed with cutting-edge multi-media features and the W12 drivetrain promises lashings of extra power and better economy. In fact the Flying Spur, which starts deliveries in June for £140,900, is the fastest and most powerful Bentley four-door in history.

Aston Martin allows fans to pick livery on GT3

Aston Martin announced a contest for North American fans last week that would have the winner design the racing livery for the Aston Martin Vantage GT3 that will compete in the Rolex Grand-Am series. TRG-AMR has two concepts approved already; fans will design the third. Contestants can log on to TRG's Facebook page page and submit a design.

Video: Watch a Mini Countryman do a backflip

We've seen a backflip on a snowmobile, we've seen the double backflip from Travis Pastrana on his dirtbike, and we saw Rhys Millen almost land a backflip in his off-road truck on New Year's Eve. Apparently, Mini thought it would cap the fad's run by flipping a car. Extreme sportsman, freestyle skier and rally driver Guerlain Chicherit made the attempt at the winter sports resort of Tignes in France.

2013 Lamborghini Aventador LP 700-4 roadster to be auctioned at Boca Raton Concours d'Elegance

The just-released 2013 Lamborghini Aventador LP 700-4 roadster hasn't been on the market for long, but there's already a 15-month wait for the drop-top supercar. Fortunately, if you've got more cash than patience, there's a way to jump ahead in line: An Aventador Roadster will be auctioned during the Boca Raton Concours d'Elegance gala dinner on Feb. 23.

Royal College of Art and SABIC collaborate on new ‘VISIcON’ program and design competition

The Royal of Art and chemicals manufacturer SABIC has announced the launch of a three-month research program and competition called 'VISIcON'. Over 30 post-graduate students from the college's Vehicle Design program are studying and analyzing how SABIC's thermoplastic lighting materials and LEXAN polycarbonate (PC) glazing technologies can be used practically and creatively to improve the lighting and illumination of future vehicles. VISIcON asks students from the RCA's automotive students split into three groups: the Automark group's emphasis on developing and enhancing brand identity through lighting; Urban Flow's focus directed towards discovering innovative exterior lighting; and Inside Out studio is working on improving and extending the use of light in the vehicle interior through lighting components and PC glazing.

Citroen C1 gets insurance ‘Black Box’ as standard. Orwellian control arrives.

Citroen has announced that the C1 Connexion will now come with a Telematics ‘Black Box’ as standard fitting as Big Brother moves closer. As if it wasn’t enough that every street corner, business and park now has at least one CCTV camera, that we’re prosecuted for ‘speeding’ by yellow boxes on poles that take no account of road conditions or circumstances and that motorists are being milked dry by ‘stupid’ box junction and red light cameras, now Citroen are to fit a telematics ‘Black Box’ as standard to its C1 Connexion. Citroen say the ‘Black Box’ fitting is so they can offer free insurance to buyers, with anyone from 19-75 getting a year’s free insurance with every C1 as long as they have at least two years no claims bonus.

Rolls Royce Wraith interior first photos & RR V16 Roadster planned

We have the first interior photos of the Rolls Royce Wraith Coupe, and RR seem to be planning a V16 Roadster for 2017. This tease from RR on the Wraith is a pair of interior photos that don’t give away much, but do show the levels of elegance RR is working in to the Wraith, despite its sporting pretensions. We get a photo of the clock in the Wraith, a simple analogue white face with Blood Orange needle tips,  a chrome bezel, Piano Black surround all housed in a chrome plate with ‘WRAITH’ and ‘RR’ prominently displayed.

Bentley Continental Flying Spur [w/Gallery]

Bentley's new Continental Flying Spur has been revealed ahead of tomorrow's official debut through a series of leaked pictures. The images, which surfaced earlier today, show the latest incarnation of the Flying Spur is sharper with a more upright grille and taut elegance than the outgoing model. The DRG's character has been subtly altered by placing the larger pair of lamps to the outside rather than sitting closest to the grille, visually widening the car.

Bypass booster seats with travel vest

Sick of moving that booster seat from car to car whenever your child heads to grandma's? A new product, the Ride-Safer travel vest, claims it can remove the booster seat from your life altogether. Like a booster seat, the purpose of the Ride-Safer vest is to position the lap and shoulder portions of a seatbelt in a way that optimizes safety for child-size passengers.

New 2013 Bentley Continental Flying Spur arrives early

The new Bentley Continental Flying Spur Speed has arrived early, ahead of a reveal at the 2013 Geneva Motor Show. Just as we hoped, Bentley had made the new Flying Spur more visually appealing with a look that shows echoes not just of the latest Continental GT but of the range-topping Mulsanne too. The redesign of the exterior brings a more focused, sharper look to Bentley’s Flying Spur and addresses about the only real moan we had of the old Flying Spur – the shape of the rear end.

Volvo revamps S60, V60 and XC60 for 2013

Volvo has taken a scalpel to six of the eight models, reworking the styling and upgraded their on-board infotainment. Despite only being on sale since summer 2010, the S60, V60 and XC60 have been stripped of their quad-light styling. There are also more subtle changes for the V70, XC70 and S80 models.

2013 Skoda Octavia Estate revealed

Ahead of a debut at the 2013 Geneva Motor Show, Skoda has revealed the estate version of the new Octavia with a pair of photos. The 2013 Skoda Octavia Estate takes the already capacious Octavia hatch to a new level, with a boot that will swallow 610 litres of stuff with the seats up and an impressive 1,740 litres with the seats down, a significant chunk more than the competition can offer. The extra capacity comes courtesy of extra length compared to the Octavia hatch, with the estate growing by 110mm in the wheelbase – with an extra 73mm for rear passengers’ legroom – and 90mm longer overall.

Rinspeed microMAX [w/video]

Rinspeed has previewed its microMAX commuter vehicle concept ahead of its debut at the upcoming Geneva motor show, where it aims to blur the boundaries between cars. taxis and busses. The prototype, measuring in at 3,700mm long and 2,200mm high, is designed to flexibly offer the benefits of both personal and public transport to those driving themselves to regular commuters in carpools – as shown in the delightfully cringe-inducing promo video photos.

European car sales down 9.6% Jan 2013. VW Golf sales down 17.8%

Car sales in Europe continue to decline with sales down 9.6% in January 2013 and the top-selling VW Golf down by 17.8%. In fact, the UK was the only top five market to increase sales, with Germany down 8.6 per cent, France down 15.1 per cent, Italy down 17.6 per cent and Spain 9.2 per cent. Other notable drops included the Netherlands which saw a huge drop of 30.4 per cent, partly driven by tighter emission boundaries on company car taxation.

New 2013 Nissan Note gets more appealing

The new Nissan Note has turned in to a Ford Fiesta basher as Nissan turn the Note from a boring little MPV in to a convincing small hatch. We did think the Invitation would be watered down to produce a slightly titivated new Note for production, but much of the style has found its way through in to the new Note – which we first saw in the JDM Nissan Note last summer – and the Note now looks set to take on proper compact hatches like the Ford Fiesta. The nose of the new Note is now more convincing – with new headlights and grill – and the doors get a great big feature crease that looks like a giant smoothing iron has stamped its mark, although Nissan say it’s a ‘Squash Line’  whose ‘angles were inspired by the flight of a fast moving squash ball travelling around a court’.

Alfa Romeo and IED collaborate on 'Gloria' concept for Geneva

The European Institute of Design (IED) in Turin will unveil its new Gloria concept, developed in collaboration with Alfa Romeo Style Center, at next month's Geneva motor show. The sports sedan concept, which is 4,200mm long, 1,920mm wide, 1,320mm high sitting on a wheelbase of 2,900mm, is previewed in this render, which shows a traditional Alfa grille that feeds into the hood's prominent V-shaped character lines. Two leather hood straps in front of the windshield are a nod to the brand's older models.

DB9 is fine

There are some calls you take without hesitation: the president, the pope . . .

2013 Facelift for almost entire Volvo range

Volvo has given the S60, V60, XC60, V70, XC70 and S80 a facelift for 2013 which will debut at the 2013 Geneva Motor show. Only the V40 and XC90 remain unchanged. All the facelifted models get a wider-looking front end, smaller lights and more prominent lines, new bumpers and  tweaks to the cabin.

Mercedes S-Class AMG Sport Edition – it’s another S-Class run-out special

The Mercedes S-Class AMG Sport Edition is another ‘final’ S Class model with extra equipment as the W221 comes to the end of its shelf life. The current Mercedes S-Class (W221) has been with us since 2006, despite which it’s still a fine car (and a great secondhand buy), but it’s about to be replaced by an all new S-Class. That’s why S-Class sales are falling and why Mercedes has rolled out the S-Class Grand Edition and CL Grand Edition to persuade buyers that a new S-Class (or S-Class coupe, in the case of the CL) is still a good place to park a sizeable chunk of change.

Fifth Gear Tonight: Pagani Huayra, Bowler EXR, Porsche 911 Cab vs Audi R8 Spyder

The 2nd episode of the new series of Fifth Gear is on tonight with Plato in the Pagani Huayra, Vicky B-H in the Bowler EXR & Tiff with the Audi R8 Spyder & Porsche 911 Cabriolet. Last week we ran a preview of the first episode of the new series of Fifth Gear, and as that was widely read you obviously appreciated the heads-up. So rinse and repeat is the order of the day with news of the second episode of Fifth Gear tonight.

Nissan Note (2013) first pictures of Euro-spec supermini

Nissan has designed, engineered and will build its new Note mini-MPV in the UK. The second-gen Note packs better safety and driver assistance tech into an altogether more fashionable body than its cute but uninpsiring predecessor. Does it have enough talent to cause nightmares for the Ford Fiesta and Honda Jazz?

Fisker about to be bought by Volvo’s Chinese owner Geely?

It’s reported that China’s Geely – which bought Volvo from Ford – is about to take a majority stake in Fisker Automotive. But Fisker has run in to big problems when its battery supplier - A123 Systems – went bust leading to Fisker production grinding to a halt. That has now been resolved with China’s Wanxiang Group buying up A123 Systems and it looks like Fisker is heading East too with Geely set to grab a majority shareholding.

Nissan LEAF EV sales top 50,000

Nissan has revealed that sales of the electric LEAF have now topped 50,000 units since the LEAF went on sale in 2010. We’re not fans of the electric car as a replacement for the ICE car, but some electric cars can give a fair impression (at a a price) of a traditional family car, and the Nissan LEAF probably does it better than any other electric car. The LEAF went on sale in 2010 and, although sales have not been exactly huge, Nissan has revealed that the LEAF has now passed more than 50,000 cars sold in the 17 countries it is available, with the U.S.

Top Gear Tonight: Kia Cee’d, Hot Hatch Astra Focus Megane Test, Mastretta & Lewis Hamilton

Series 19 episode 4 of Top Gear tonight with hot hatch test – Astra VXR, Focus ST, Megane 265 – Kia Cee’d, Mexican Mastretta and Lewis Hamilton is SIARPC. We’re now more than half way through the new series of Top Gear, with episode 4 on tonight. And its choice of cars this week is almost mainstream.

2014 Chevrolet SS revealed at Daytona

Super Sport. Spiritual Successor. Serious Speed.

Top new car deals for President's Day weekend

It's President's Day weekend, which means a solemn celebration of two great Americans new car deals from coast to coast! Mattress blowouts too, but those are covered elsewhere. We're not entirely sure how Washington and Lincoln got associated with the war on high prices, but many car dealers use President's Day weekend to launch their first incentive programs of the year.

Bruce Weiner Micro Car auction: Day 1 wrap

Yesterday's strong bidding left many attendees in disbelief. As the gavel fell on a 1959 Goggomobil TL-400 Transporter Pickup for the top pre-auction estimate of $125,000, anyone who had dismissed RM's estimates as optimistic was reappraising the situation. Several people have brought up the legendary $112,000 sale of an Amphicar at Barrett-Jackson's Scottsdale sale in 2006.

Alfa Romeo Gloria Concept looks like a proper Alfa

A new Alfa concept – the Alfa Romeo Gloria Concept – is heading for the 2013 Geneva Motor Show. But it’s not previewing a new Alfa. They’re wrong, of course, but the logic that if you buy a car for how it looks and how it makes you feel, rather than its reliability or cost, marks you out as someone with high octane fuel instead of blood running through your veins, is sound.

Toyota GT86 Convertible spied in South Africa

Ahead of a reveal of a concept version of the Toyota GT86 Convertible at the Geneva Motor Show, the soft-top GT86 has been spied Almost a year ago we learned that a Toyota GT86 Convertible was in the planning after Toyota’s chief engineer, Tetsuya Tada, revealed that the GT86 (and therefore the Scion FR-S and Subaru BRZ) were designed to be a convertible from the start. Shortly after that revelation, we saw the first glimpse of a future GT86 Convertible in the shape of the Scion FR-S Speedster at the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach, an officially sanctioned speedster version of the GT86 created by Iacona Design and Cartel Customs. Most recently, Toyota revealed that they are taking the  the FT-86 Open Concept to next month’s Geneva Motor Show, a car that looks to preview an almost production-ready GT86 Convertible, which could arrive in production guise before the end of 2013.

Toyota Auris Touring Sports Specification – but no price

Toyota has revealed specifications for the Auris Estate – the Toyota Auris Touring Sports – but has yet to come up with a price. At the time, apart from learning the Auris Touring Sports was longer than the Auris Hatch, we didn’t get much more from Toyota. But now, ahead of the Auris Touring Sports turning up again at Geneva next month, Toyota has released more detail.