Blog on 2040Parts

Concept Car of the Week: Porsche Tapiro (1970)

By the late 1960s it was time for Porsche to create a new car that would replace its ageing entry-level model, the 912. Its sister company Volkswagen also needed a sports coupe to replace the Karmann Ghia and so the two brands joined together to develop what would become the Porsche 914. These days the 914 holds something of a ‘cool factor', generally considered as the ‘black sheep' in Porsche history.

Renault Captur

Renault has unveiled its new Captur ahead of its official debut in Geneva. The carmaker's first urban crossover borrows many of the same design cues as the latest Clio - unveiled in Paris last year – such as the tapering headlamps, grille and low air intake. The fog lamps are now surrounded by stainless steel, which helps to frame the lower air intake.

Interior Motives Design Awards 2013 launched

Registration for the eleventh Interior Motives Student Design Awards has now opened. This is your chance to take part in one of the most important events on the design calendar, and to display your talent and fresh thinking to the world's top vehicle designers and automotive press. The theme of this year's competition is ‘The Connected Car'.

Nissan previews Resonance Detroit show concept

Nissan has teased its Resonance crossover concept ahead of its official debut next week in Detroit. The image of the concept, which Nissan says is the latest in a series of crossover designs "fusing bold styling with a hybrid-electric powertrain," shows a sharp flowing character line running along the side as well as the L-shaped LED rear lamps that can be found on the Nissan Juke. We can also see that the Resonance features a floating roof, created by the C-pillar not joining up to the roof but curving down to leave a break to the roof, giving the impression that it is floating over the rear window.

Petersen Museum gets new chair

Peter Mullin, a car guy with excellent taste and the means to do something about it, has become chairman of the board of the Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles. Lucky place, the Petersen. Mullin's vice-chairs, who will help lead the museum into the 21st century, are uber car guys Bruce Meyer and David Sydorick, both longtime supporters of the institution.

Nissan Juke Nismo unveiled at Tokyo Auto Salon

The Nissan Juke is a polarizing proposition -- detractors claim it’s the worst thing since the Pontiac Aztek, even as its fans embrace its quirky styling. If you’re in the former camp, you’re probably not going to like the 2013 Nissan Juke Nismo. Just unveiled at the 2013 Toyko Auto Salon, the crossover’s baroque curves are clad in a substantial body kit that includes a reshaped front bumper, redesigned spoiler, LED fog lights and new side skirts.

Spotted: Alfa Romeo 4C caught testing in Michigan

An anonymous reader passed along this short video of a heavily camouflaged Alfa Romeo 4C testing in Michigan this morning. Hopefully it was a passenger doing the filming. The 4C is scheduled to begin production at Maserati's Modena facility this spring.

Porsche 959 prototype to cross the block at Barrett-Jackson

When Professor Helmuth Bott arrived at the fledgling Porsche sports-car company in 1952, he was in his late 20s. The young engineer's first assignment was setting up a gearbox test stand for the company's new all-syncromesh Type 519 transaxle. Thirty-one years later, he gave the go-ahead for the development of a car that was to be the ultimate bleeding edge of what Porsche knew about building a rear-engined sports car.

New Mercedes A Class: A 180 BlueEFFICIENCY Edition models launch

Mercedes are launching two new eco versions of the new A Class – the A 180 CDI BlueEFFICIENCY Edition and A 180 BlueEFFICIENCY Edition. Mercedes has had a play with the aerodynamics on the new A Class to lower the Cd value from an already very low 0.27 to 0.26 by partially covering the upper section of the radiator grill, adding aerodynamically shaped spring link coverings that improve the flow of air along the underbody at the rear axle and lowering the suspension by 15mm. Mercedes has also tweaked the generator management for more efficiency and had a play with the gearbox to make the ratios longer (which will help economy, but won’t do much for responsiveness).

Honda cuts 800 jobs at Swindon Plant

Honda is cutting 800 jobs at its Swindon Plant as demand for cars across Europe weakens and moving to a single shift system. We’ve not had a huge amount of bad news in the UK car industry for some time, but Honda’s decision to cut 800 jobs at its Swindon Plant is a tough pill to swallow for the workforce. Honda blames ‘Sustained conditions of low demand’ in Europe for the swathing cuts in its workforce in the, but believes the move is necessary to protect the long-term future of Swindon.

Renault Captur Crossover revealed

The production version of the Renault Captur Crossover has been revealed ahead of a debut at the Geneva Motor Show in March. Instead of a funky urban crossover that managed to out-Juke the Nissan Juke (which is the same car under the skin) we instead get a Renault Clio with some butch bits added and a raised ride height. Which is rather disappointing.

Hyundai teases new HCD-14 concept (2013)

Hyundai is no stranger to the coupé market and it plans to unveil another at the 2013 Detroit motor show next week - in the shape of the HCD-14.  No information regarding performance or pricing has been released yet, aside from a single teaser image, but a Mercedes CLS-type swooshing rear end won’t get any complaints from us. Hyundai HCD-14: the teaser    Hyundai says the HCD-14 'will give the automotive world a glimpse into future Hyundai premium vehicle design, advanced 3-D gesture-based technology controls, and spirited driving dynamics.' Standard concept car teasing twaddle, then. For the full story on the new Hyundai coupe, come back next week when we report live from the North American International Auto Show, aka the Detroit motor show.

Ferrari teases Enzo replacement's rear detailing

Ferrari's official magazine has revealed another teaser shot of the replacement Enzo. The image, which appeared in The Official Ferrari Magazine alongside a previously released teaser, shows a close up of the rear including the lamps, exhaust and and some dramatically flared haunches. The Enzo's successor – codenamed the F150 – has a chassis made entirely from carbon fiber as it takes on its main competitor, the McLaren P1.

Lexus IS

Details and pictures of the new Lexus IS saloon have been revealed ahead of the car's full debut next week in Detroit. Previewed back in September at the Paris motor show with the LF-CC concept, the IS features the carmaker's signature spindle grille and L-shaped Daytime Running Lights (DRL). The IS also retains the prominent character line that rises from the lower body into the rear lamp clusters and also features another that runs underneath the windows.

Dodge expands Blacktop lineup for 2013

In November, Dodge added the Avenger, Challenger and Charger vehicles to the list of Blacktop special editions. Dodge says they were received well, and the company is adding the Journey, Durango and Grand Caravan to the list of cars that can get the Blacktop treatment. The Grand Caravan Blacktop comes equipped with 17-inch polished aluminum wheels with black accents, black grille, black headlight bezels and fog lights.

2013 Mazda 3, 2014 Mazda CX-5 earn 'Top Safety Pick' rating

Mazda announced Wednesday that the 2013 Mazda 3 and the 2014 Mazda CX-5 have both earned “good” ratings from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. To achieve the overall “good” rating, the vehicles had to perform well in each of the following crash-test categories: frontal moderate overlap, side, rear impact and roof strength. “The Mazda 3 and the CX-5 are two very important vehicles for Mazda and our customers,” said Jim O'Sullivan, president and CEO, Mazda North American Operations (MNAO).

Caterham to take on Cayman, Evora

With the increased visibility brought to enthusiast-secret Caterham via their Formula One team, it only makes sense to diversify the company's offerings. Though they've diverged from the Seven-only path a couple of times before -- with the limited-production 21 in the mid-'90s and the more recent SP/300.R, a track-only collaboration with Lola -- this time they're taking aim at higher-volume prey. The targets?

2013 Mercedes CLS63 AMG & Shooting Brake get new E63 AMG power hike

The 2013 Mercedes CLS 63 AMG and Shooting Brake are getting the same power upgrades as the new E63 AMG and the E 63 AMG S. But hidden in the press info that come in from Mercedes on the new E63 AMG was the news that the power upgrades it gets will also be offered on the CLS 63 AMG (and its Estate version – the CLS Shooting Brake) and that there will be a CLS 63 AMG S version too. That means that the regular CLS 63 AMg will now get 549bhp and be able to scoot to 62mph in 4.2 seconds, with the CLS 63 AMG S – with 577bhp –  probably getting to 62mph just a tenth quicker at 4.1 seconds.

Nissan Resonance Concept at Detroit. The next Murano SUV?

Nissan are teasing the Resonance Concept ahead of a debut at the Detroit Auto Show, which could be the next Murano SUV. The 2013 Detroit Auto show is looming, and the teases are starting to gather momentum as car makers seek to pique interest in their new and future models. This afternoon it’s the turn of Nissan to tease a new concept for Detroit – the Nissan Resonance Concept – although beyond the usual teaser image (above) there’s little to go on.

2013 Mercedes E63 AMG & E63 AMG S Facelift arrives

Ahead of a debut at the 2013 Detroit Auto Show, Mercedes has revealed the new E63 AMG saloon and Estate and the E63 AMG S. Just as we saw the other day, the 2013 E63 AMG – both saloon and estate – get a bold new treatment, particularly at the front, to differentiate further the AMG from the more prosaic E Class models. The more butch front end gets the new single headlight treatment of the regular E Class, but there’s a central splitter and great big air ducts forming an AMG ‘A’ shape to improve air flow under the car.

Range Rover Evoque Sicilian Yellow Limited Edition with Black Design Pack

Land Rover has revealed the Sicilian Yellow Limited Edition Range Rover Evoque complete with the new Evoque Black Design Pack. But that changes with the arrival of a new special Edition Range Rover Evoque – the Sicilian Yellow Limited Edition Range Rover Evoque – that comes with bespoke paint jobs and debuts the arrival of the Black design Pack for the Evoque. Based on the 2013 Range Rover Evoque Dynamic, the Sicilian Yellow Evoque comes with a striking paint job in Sicilian Yellow with a contrast black roof and door mirrors (or you can have it the other way round – black bodywork with yellow roof) with yellow contrast stitching inside and a yellow finisher across the dash.

Renault Captur (2013) finally to be unveiled at Geneva

Renault teased us earlier in the week with a single shady image of the new Captur - and here it is, fully revealed today in all its compact SUV splendour. Coming in the wake of the new Clio’s renewal, the Captur marks the next step-up in Renault’s design offensive. New stylist in chief Laurens van den Acker is rebooting La Regie's wardrobe and you can leave a comment below to rate his latest effort.

Lexus IS (2013) first official pictures

These are the first official pictures of the all-new 2013 Lexus IS. Challenging the likes of the BMW 3-series, Mercedes C-class and Audi A4, the new IS has gone under the knife and the new iteration has a more athletic and vigorous-looking design, judging by these photos.   Sporting an updated, pleasingly chiselled front end, the new IS takes inspiration from the LF-CC concept shown at 2012’s Paris motor show. The new IS features the new 'spindle' front grille which adorns all new Lexus models, decorated with a new headlamp cluster design and the trademark L-shaped daytime running lights set independently below.

Mercedes E63 AMG facelift and power boost (2013) full details

Let's ignore the visual changes on the new Mercedes E63 AMG for a moment and get straight to the facts. In top-spec 'S' guise, this four-door saloon will hit 62mph in 3.6 seconds. That's a tenth faster than a Lamborghini Gallardo LP560-4 supercar, and quicker still than Merc's own SLS AMG.

Range Rover Evoque (2013) Sicilian Yellow limited edition

Land Rover has announced that it will be producing a limited edition model of its highly successful Evoque. Selling over 100,000 models in its first year, the Mrs Beckham-influenced crossover has won fans for its high levels of individualisation – but you haven't been able to spec a yellow version, until now. The appropriately titled ‘Sicilian Yellow Limited Edition Evoque’ is set to be unveiled at the January 2013 Brussels motor show.

Mercedes CLS63 AMG gets more power for 2013

You wait for ages for a Mercedes four-door with supercar performance, and then two come along at once. Joining the facelifted E63 AMG saloon and estate unveiled this week are uprated versions of the CLS63 four-door coupe and Shooting Brake estate - packing a revised model range, and extra power. A straight engine swap for the 2013 Mercedes CLS63 AMG?

Nissan shows off Resonance SUV concept teaser (2013)

Tease, tease, tease. Ahead of the 2013 Detroit motor show, Nissan is the latest manufacturer to release a shady teasing image of its new concept car: the Resonance concept. It'll be unveiled on 15 January 2013 at the NAIAS.

Kia turn to consumer reviews to drive the brand

Kia is launching a brand awareness campaign in the UK with the main focus being on over 3000 consumer reviews on the Kia website. It looks like Korean twins Hyundai and Kia are both going to be concentrating on building the value of their brand in 2013. Yesterday we learnt that Hyundai are to focus on brand building in 2013 rather than chasing big sales increases, and today Kia has revealed it is following a similar path with a new marketing campaign built round consumer reviews of Kia cars.

Hyundai's record year – can it continue? (2013)

Hyundai’s metamorphosis is complete – it’s now one of the ten most popular car brands in the UK, and the first Korean manufacturer ever to crack into the Premier League of UK car buying habits. Sales in 2012 soared by 18.1% to 74,000 units, while its Kia sister brand scored 66,000 registrations last year, according to the new SMMT figures out this week. The Korean double-act isn’t just a thorn in the side of the established French mainstream brands: it’s killing them off completely.

Mercedes E63 AMG (2013) first pictures leaked

This is the first image of the facelifted Mercedes E63 AMG super-saloon. Shown here leading the pack in a parade of tweaked E-classes, the E63 will be way out in front on performance too, with Audi RS-challenging all-wheel drive a possibility. What do we know about the new 2013 Mercedes E63 AMG?