Mercruiser 5.0 Mpi Smartcraft Dts Engine Cover on 2040-parts.com

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.

Subaru BRZ STI teased

Subaru are teasing the BRZ STI (pictured) The Subaru BRZ – the Subaru take on the Toyota GT86 – has the potential to be a lot more hardcore than its current setup allows. That has led to much speculation that Subaru will bolt a turbo on to the BRZ’s Boxer engine to produce a BRZ with something closer to the 300bhp we originally expected. In fact, at the end of 2011, Subaru in the US confirmed there would be a turbo version of the engine in the BRZ, although they fell short of actually confirming the BRZ itself would get it as an option, but at the end of 2012 we had a report that the BRZ will get the turbo engine and that it will deliver 280bhp.

Ford Fiesta ST at 2012 Geneva motor show

This is the new Ford Fiesta ST, unveiled on the eve of the 2012 Geneva motor show. It’s a 178bhp hot hatch, with a turbocharged 1.6-litre engine. And it’s real?