Mercruiser Dryjoint Restricted Flow Gasket on 2040-parts.com

Six questions for the creator of Gran Turismo

When you are granted an audience with Kazunori Yamauchi, godfather of Gran Turismo, you take it. We spoke with his excellency in a suite overlooking downtown Los Angeles, where traffic on the twisted freeways below looked nothing at all like the thrilling tracks of that iconic game. AW: When did you make the first Gran Turismo?

New MINI to be unveiled on 18 November

The new third-generation MINI Hatch will be revealed at the British brand’s Oxford factory on the 18 November, ahead of a simultaneous showcase at the 2013 LA and Tokyo Motor Shows two days later. In a nice touch from the BMW-owned carmaker, the special unveiling event will be held 107 years to the day since creator of the original Mini, Sir Alec Issigonis, was born. MSN Cars recently checked out MINI’s preview of the new compact hatchback with the MINI Vision concept.

McLaren launches Special Operations unit for customers' custom requests

British sports-car maker McLaren has launched its Special Operations unit, which will help the company's well-heeled buyers customize their cars. McLaren previewed some handiwork from the new division at this year's Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance, with a custom example of the MP4-12C. The customized sports car had a variety of carbon-fiber trim upgrades and special treatment such as unique orange paintwork, a gloss-black roof, diamond-cut-finish wheels with gloss-back inners, 12C-branded carbon sill panels, a carbon steering wheel and carbon-fiber cover vents for the engine.