Dorman 635-176 Timing Cover on 2040-parts.com

2013 Mercedes-Benz GL63 AMG packs 550 hp

Mercedes-Benz is adding a fire-breathing AMG variant of the GL sport-utility vehicle for the first time for 2013. The people hauler will pack a biturbo 5.5-liter V8 rated at 550 hp and 560 lb-ft of torque. Code-named M157, it's capable of propelling the ute to 60 mph in 4.9 seconds en route to an electronically limited top speed of 155 mph.

Vauxhall launches speed limit detectors on Insignia (2008)

By Tim Pollard First Official Pictures 19 June 2008 07:53 Vauxhall's new Insignia will be the first of a wave of cars to have a forward-facing camera that can read road signs. The optional kit will detect speed limit and no overtaking signs – and flash up a reminder to the driver on the dashboard.GM calls the tech, which will be launched in early 2009, Traffic Sign Recognition and it uses a small, wide-angled camera system supplied by Hella. It sits at the top of the windscreen near the rain sensors and rear-view mirror, scanning the road ahead taking 30 photos per second.It's 1984 all over again...With a range of 100 metres, the camera focuses on circular patterns and then interprets the numbers inside by contour comparison; if a match is found on the software's database, that road sign will be flashed up in the driver's binnacle.The front-facing camera is also used as a lane departure warning system, alerting the driver if they unintentionally swerve out of their lane on a motorway.Cars with cameras: a growing trendMore and more manufacturers are fitting cameras to their cars nowadays and you can expect a flood of systems like the Insignia's to be launched in 2009, including the new BMW 5-series.CAR tried out these new systems on Bosch prototypes in 2007.

When car design meets Art Nouveau

Gray Design has revealed a new concept car called the Nouvair, inspired by the Art Nouveau design movement. The Nouvair, a retro-looking coupé complete with a long hood and trailing rear end, takes inspiration from the techniques and flowing lines favored by one of the pioneers of the movement, Czech painter and decorative artist Alphonse Mucha. Despite the release of five pictures, Gray Design didn't reveal any technical details, just confirmation of its name and its inspiration.