Continental Io-520 K on 2040-parts.com

Mercedes' mystery building revealed!

Last year, Mercedes-Benz USA was working out a lease on a huge 1.1-million square-foot former aircraft factory across the street from the Long Beach Airport that used to build DC-10s, MD-80s and Boeing 717s. Mercedes wouldn't say what it planned to do with the massive space. Was Benz building airplanes?

Jaguar ramps up interest for the XF Sportbrake

Jaguar XF Sportbrake - now you can register your interest The Jaguar XF Sportbrake (XF Estate) has been teased a couple of times so far, but now Jaguar are taking registrations of interest for the new XF. It’s not huge news that the Jaguar XF Sportbrake is being dangled again, but it’s an indication that the launch of the XF Estate is getting closer. When Jaguar first officially confirmed the XF Sportbrake back in November, they did so by creating a new Twitter account – @sportbrake  - from which they’ve now acquired around 1,000 followers and, apart from responding to followers’ Tweets, have been regaling us with enigmatic Tweets like ‘The House in the Trees reflects nature in its balanced curves’ and ‘… few people achieve it… have you?’ Jaguar followed that up with a ‘Santa Special’ with Father Christmas loading presents in the back of the XF Sportbrake – still camouflaged and still with ‘@sportbrake’ plastered on the side.

Russian Grand Prix: Hamilton on pole for Mercedes

Hamilton (r) has pole in Russia followed by Rosberg (l) and Bottas (c) Amid tight security thanks to Russia’s ongoing spat in Ukraine, and a muted appetite for exuberance after Jules Bianchi’s dreadful crash with a JCB on track last weekend, the rest of the F1 circus seems to be on normal duty, with Hamilton’s Mercedes taking the front row and Hamilton dominating proceedings in qualifying to secure another pole position. But it wasn’t necessarily going all Mercedes’ way, with Bottas stringing together a very quick lap in the dying moments of final qualifying that looked like it could propel him in front of the Mercedes duo, until he lost traction at the end of his flying lap and had to settle for third spot in tomorrow’s race. Joining Bottas on row two is Jenson Button and his McLaren after a strong qualifying, and Daniil Kvyat – at his first home Grand Prix – managed to secure a very impressive fifth spot for Toro Rosso. Kevin Magnussen in the second McLaren would have been on row three in sixth spot but gets a five place penalty for a gearbox change.