Blog on 2040Parts

Mercedes AMG GT gets new 503 bhp Twin-Turbo 4.0 litre V8 (video)

The new Mercedes AMG GT (pictured) gets the new 503 bhp Twin-Turbo 4.0 litre V8 We’ve speculated that the new Mercedes AMG GT – and, for that matter, futures ’63′ AMGs – will get a new twin-turbo V8 to provide the power as Mercedes look to move away from the naturally aspirated 6.2 litre V8 in cars like the SLS. And this is it. A new 4.0 litre twin-turbo V8 – the M178 engine – has been developed to replace the 6.2 litre V8 and, in initial tune, develops 503 bhp at 6250 rpm and 479lb/ft of torque from just 1750 rpm.

Tesla opens its patents for everyone to share EV knowledge

By Michael Karkafiris Motor Industry 13 June 2014 10:43 Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla Motors and one of the most talked-about personalities in the automotive industry, announced today that his company has opened all of its patents to make way for the competition to catch up and promote electric mobility for a wider audience. Open-sourcing your patents is a rather unusual strategy in the automotive world but Musk says that ‘Tesla Motors was created to accelerate the advent of sustainable transport. If we clear a path to the creation of compelling electric vehicles, but then lay intellectual property landmines behind us to inhibit others, we are acting in a manner contrary to that goal.

Mini Boosts Multimedia Appeal With Gopro Filming App

THE Mini has never been camera-shy, but now the brand’s latest models can get themselves on camera easier than ever before. In what’s being touted as a world first for a car brand, a new Mini Connected App enables GoPro cameras to be controlled via the dashboard – meaning shooting a film is now as easy as changing a song on the audio unit. This makes it possible to start shooting with a camera mounted on or inside the car while travelling.

Nissan’s Qashqai Named Top Tow Car

THE all-new Nissan Qashqai has proved it has the pulling power to match its looks after it was named as The Overall Winner at the prestigious Tow Car Awards 2014. The British-built model also won the 1,400kg-1,549kg (kerbweight) category. Judges from the Camping and Caravanning Club and influential magazines Practical Caravan and What Car?

Bloodhound SSC: behind the wheel inside 1000mph cockpit

By Tim Pollard First Official Pictures 13 June 2014 00:01 Want to know what it feels like to hit 1000mph? This is our first look inside the cockpit of the Bloodhound SSC, the new supersonic rocket challenger looking to set a new world land speed record. The Bloodhound SSC's cabin is cramped and looks more like the cockpit of a Eurofighter jet than a car.

London Road Safety Figures 'Encouraging'

NEW figures released show that deaths and serious injuries on London's roads fell to a record low last year. A total of 132 people were killed on the UK capital's streets in 2013. This was compared to 134 in 2012 and forms the second-lowest annual total, according to Transport for London (TfL) figures.

Jaguar takes on AMG with Special Ops division

By Phil McNamara Motor Industry 12 June 2014 16:02 Jaguar Land Rover today announced a new Special Operations division, tasked with launching 'extraordinary, outstanding' cars, according to the unit's boss John Edwards. It might sound like a crack commando team from a Hollywood blockbuster, and that's not a bad analogy. The Special Ops team will be a small, but growing unit able to react to niche product opportunities.

Countach Sets Record Auction Price

A 1982 Lamborghini Countach was the highlight at a recent historics auction at the famous Brooklands Museum. The Countach was clearly the sale star, soaring to nearly three times its reserve price and settling at what is believed to be a UK auction record for this model, at £337,120 including commission and tax. The auction hall was treated to a struggle between bidders for ownership of the 8,500 mile car, which has been in professional storage for the last 23 years.

Citroen To Celebrate Old And New At Festival Of Speed

CITROEN is to make a big splash at the Goodwood Festival of Speed later this month. The French firm has announced plans to premier its radical new C4 Cactus and the latest version of its C1 city car. On sale in the UK from October, the C4 Cactus signals the brand’s bold response to the changing needs of today’s car owners.

Fiat Launches Racy New Range Of Abarth 500s

NEW colours, more technology and a host of other changes feature in the latest range of Abarth 500 cars for 2014. The new range has just been launched as part of a tie-in with the infamous Gumball 3000 supercar event, which visited Edinburgh and London recently as part of an international tour. While the endurance road trip featured some of the world’s most exotic supercars, many of the loudest cheers were reserved for the fleet of Abarths – the new 695 biposto, a 595 Competizione, 595 Turismo and 595 50th Anniversario – taking part in the event.

England football squad planning big car buys after the World Cup

The Ferrari 458 Spider – just one of the supercars heading for an England player We’re all aware that our very well-paid Premier league footballers love to spend their loose change on a never-ending stream of exotic and expensive wheels, but it seems – almost to a man – they’re planning a big spending spree when they return from Brazil. Magnitude Finance – a go-to finance company for high-end purchases – has revealed that thirteen of the current England squad are clients and that they have big plans for their car fleets when they get back from Brazil – whether they win and get a reputed £350k win bonus or not. The most popular cars being lined up by the players include the new Range Rover, the Lamborghini Aventador LP700-4 Roadster and the Ferrari 458 Spider.

Bid to cut car insurance premiums

THE COMPETITION WATCHDOG is proposing to impose a cap on replacement vehicle costs following motor accidents as part of a clampdown to help cut premiums for all drivers in the £11 billion private motor insurance market. The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) said the cap on charges passed to the insurer of the driver who is at-fault in an accident for the cost of providing a replacement vehicle to the non-fault driver, would "more closely reflect the costs incurred and remove significant inefficiencies". The watchdog has previously found that the "complex chain" of claim costs following an accident collectively inflates premiums by as much as £200 million a year.

2015 Land Rover Discovery range gets updates from the XXV Special Edition Discovery

The last hurrah for the Discovery 4 (pictured) means more luxury options No, this isn’t news on the new Land Rover Discovery family of cars, but a bit of titivation for the current Discovery 4 before production comes to an end. Earlier this year Land Rover revealed the Discovery XXV Special Edition to celebrate 25 years of the Discovery, based it on the range-topping HSE Luxury spec and then added more gloss. And now some of that gloss is being extended across the current Discovery range as Land Rover tries to keep sales buoyant ahead of the current car’s demise.

Kia Soul EV goes in to production for UK and Europe

The Kia Soul EV (pictured) is now being produced for Europe The electric Kia Soul was revealed at the Chicago Motor Show back in February, with Kia promising it would go on sale in the UK and Europe late in 2014. And that looks to be on track. Kia has announced that the Soul EV for the export market has now gone in to production – the first electric car from Kia destined for export from South Korea – with the first cars off the production line destined for Europe.

Toyota Makes Engineering Child’s Play

JAPANESE car maker Toyota is putting the fun into engineering, with its unusual Cammatte. Its role is to help inspire the drivers of the future and show them how car design and engineering can be rewarding and fun. Making a return to the International Tokyo Toy Show for the third year running, a new Sport version of the Cammatte is on display in the Toyota Design Lab.

Mazda confirms new SkyActiv-D 1.5 litre diesel engine for next Mazda2

The next Mazda2, previewed by the Hazumi Concept (pictured) gets a new SKYACTIV 1.5 diesel The Geneva Motor Show this year saw the arrival of the Mazda Hazumi Concept which was the first view of the next generation Mazda2, due to arrive in early 2015. What the Geneva Show also revealed from Mazda was the new SkyActiv-D 1.5 litre diesel engine which is heading for deployment in Mazda’s cars, and now Mazda has confirmed the next Mazda2 will be offered with the new clean and fugal diesel. Similar to the 2.2 litre diesel already available in the Mazda 6 and Mazda 3, the new 1.5 litre offers 103bhp and 185lb/ft of torque and features a bigger homogenous lean burn range, less mechanical resistance and new insulation to improve cooling and efficiency.

New Nissan Navara NP300 pick-up arrives

The glitzier new Nissan Navara pick-up (pictured) arrives Double cab pick-ups are an odd creation, but they make a practical – and tax-efficient – option for users who need both a car and a pick-up, so the arrival of the new 2015 Nissan Navara pick-up matters to many. Styling on the new Navara isn’t dramatically different to the current model, but the 2015 Navara does look a bit more glitzy with its new chrome grill, chrome mirrors,  detail crease down the side, black B-pillars and some very non-utilitarian colour choices like Savannah Yellow. Inside, Nissan has moved the Navara up a notch or two in quality and ergonomics with a high-res colour display, aluminium trim (well, trim that looks aluminium), decent seats and a new steering wheel.

Lotus unveils Grand Prix-inspired Exige S LF1 (2014)

By Michael Karkafiris First Official Pictures 11 June 2014 13:45 Lotus has unveiled a new limited-edition Exige S with the moniker LF1, paying tribute to its 81 Grand Prix victories. Dressed in the official colours of the Lotus F1 team, the black-gold Exige S with red accents will be limited to 81 units. Each one is individually numbered with a carbonfibre build plate.

Speading plea as fines quadruple

A MOTHER whose two-year-old son was one of eight people who died in a horrific road crash has spoken of the need for motorists to "break the habit of speeding to prevent more needless deaths". Tracey Mohabir's comments came as the Government announced a four-fold increase in fines available to magistrates, meaning motorway speeders could be forced to pay up to £10,000. Mrs Mohabir's son Marcus was travelling with his father Steve and two friends, Toby and Kate Beasley, when their Land Rover was hit by a speeding BMW which crashed through the central reservation on the A23 near Pycombe, Sussex, on May 16 2004.

Ford teams up with Heinz for tomato car parts

Ford and Getty Images Forget carbonfibre, the new must-have material on your vehicle will soon be tomato fibre – or so Ford and food manufacturer Heinz are hoping. The American carmaker and the food giant have teamed up to "explore the use of tomato fibre to develop a sustainable bio-plastic material for vehicles," bringing environmentally friendly motoring to a whole new level. Ford and Heinz tomato car parts: how will they work?

Mazda 2 (2015) first to get new 1.5 Skyactiv diesel

By Michael Karkafiris Motor Industry 11 June 2014 15:32 Mazda’s new 2 will be the first model to premiere the company’s latest downsized Skyactiv diesel engine, it has confirmed. The Japanese car maker today revealed the technical specifications of its new 1.5-litre oil-burner, which promises to be highly efficient and low-polluting. The new member of the eco-friendly Skyactiv engine family produces 103bhp at 4000rpm and 184lb ft of torque between 1500-2500rpm, says Mazda.

Mercedes AMG GT (almost) revealed

The Mercedes AMG GT revealed with green and black camouflage As we expected, Mercedes is drawing out the tease for the reeval of the new AMG GT – effectively a replacement for the SLS – and milking every detail for more column inches. We’ve had a full reveal of the S-Class inspired interior – a full reveal, not just a few detail shots – and we’ve also had a tease of the AMG GT on video with a few blurry glimpses of the new car dotted throughout. We’ve even had a variation on the tease them with a selection of engine noises – from idle to high revs – but now we get a real photo of the AMG GT, albeit covered in lurid green and black camouflage swirls.

Sprightly Centenarians, MG TA Midget Concours-Winner Go Under The Hammer

TWO De Dion Boutons with a combined age of 210 are the oldest entrants in the Barons’ sale at Sandown Park on June 24th. The first of the venerable veterans dates from 1906. It can comfortably accommodate four adults and, while just a year too young to take part in the London to Brighton run, it has taken part in many road runs.

Apple Carplay vs Android: the smartphone hits the road

By Damion Smy Motor Industry 11 June 2014 07:18 The days of frustrating in-car interfaces and clunky touchscreens are ending, as computing giants Apple and Google start unleashing the full power of smartphone technology in your car.  Apple has fired the opening salvo in the war on wheels with its ‘CarPlay’ system launched at the 2014 Geneva Motor Show and offered by Ferrari, Mercedes and Volvo, and at least 15 other car brands. If you own an iPhone, you’ll find CarPlay natural and intuitive – it’s this type of familiarity that car companies and Apple are banking on to win you over. Cars have been able to play your iTunes library and read texts for a while, but CarPlay takes this functionality to a whole new level.

CAR interviews Porsche design chief Michael Mauer

By Ben Barry Motor Industry 11 June 2014 09:09 CAR magazine caught up with Porsche’s head of design Michael Mauer to talk about Porsche styling. Read on for our full interview – where we discuss keeping the 911 fresh, assimilating SUVs into a sport car line-up and design inspiration in general. ‘I studied transport design in Pforzheim, Germany, and joined Mercedes in 1986.

Beanz Meanz More Eco-Friendly Future Fords

THE car industry is full of interesting and unusual business partnerships, but this latest tie-up between Ford and Heinz promises to be one of the more intriguing. Far from seeking to produce 57 varieties of any particular new Ford model, the two firms are exploring the use of tomato fibre to develop a sustainable composite materials for use in vehicle manufacturing. For example, boffins believe that dried tomato skins could become the wiring brackets in future Ford vehicles or the storage bin a customer uses to hold coins and other small objects.

More Kit For Suzuki’s Popular Swift Hatch

SUZUKI has unveiled a number of detailed updates for its popular Swift hatchback model. The Japanese car maker is focusing on adding more kit and colour choices. Buyers of the SZ2 variant and upwards gain front fog lamps and LED daytime running lights, while the top specification SZ4 model now adds a navigation system with DAB radio as standard.

Bentley Continental GT3 road car debut at Goodwood Festival of Speed?

The Bentley Continental GT3 (pictured) looks set to turn in to a road car The idea that the Bentley Continental GT3 – Bentley’s track special – will, at some point, turn in to a road car has been around for a couple of years. But it seemed unlikely. It seemed unlikely because a stripped-out Continental with a GT3 badge, pushing on 700bhp and stripped of many of its luxuries would step on the toes of what we expected – a new Continental Supersports.

Renault buys Caterham out of the joint Alpine sports car venture

Renault buys Caterham out of the joint Alpine sports car venture It’s more than eighteen months since Renault and Caterham joined forces to create a new breed of sports cars around the Alpine brand. Renault say the arrangement is a mutual one and officially brings to an end the joint venture, and that the business will be renamed Société des Automobiles Alpine this month, although Renault aren’t excluding further ventures with Caterham in the future. The split means that the Alpine project will now be a purely Renault one, and Renault are planning to get their Alpine to market by 2016.

Goodwood Festival of Speed 2014 preview

By Michael Karkafiris Motor Shows 10 June 2014 13:16 The Goodwood Festival of Speed always stands out as a highlight in our automotive calendar and the 2014 event should be no exception. The iconic motoring celebration will take place from 26-29 June and this year Lord March is laying on all the usual treats plus a few surprises. The 2014 Festival of Speed's central feature will be Mercedes celebrating 120 years of motorsport achievements and a century since the famous 1-2-3 victory in the 1914 French Grand Prix.