King Ki525a Pictorial Navigation Indicator.p/n066-3046-00. 14/28 V on 2040-parts.com

Ellesmere Port Celebrates Five Decades Of Production

VAUXHALL recently celebrated 50 years of production at its Ellesmere Port facility by recreating the original 1964 press image of the first vehicle coming off the line, in the same production location with today’s Astra alongside. The first new car to be produced at Ellesmere Port was a Vauxhall Viva HA, a model name that would run in a number of variants until 1978, when it was replaced by the Chevette. The Viva cost £527 7s 11d at launch.

2014 (or is it 2015?) Ford Mondeo to launch in UK & Europe late 2014

The new Ford Mondeo will now arrive in the UK in late 2014 The story of the new Ford Mondeo for the UK Europe (which should have been the 2013 Mondeo but will end up as the 2014 or 2015 Mondeo) has been a bit tortuous. Despite the new Mondeo being on sale in the US as the Ford Fusion since summer 2012, and in China since summer 2013 (and the reveal of the production version of the Mondeo over two years ago and a set of new Mondeo photos too), Ford’s decision to shut up shop at Genk in Belgium – the Mondeo’s traditional manufacturing plant – meant there was no way to give Europe the new Mondeo. So we’ve had to wait for Ford to sort out production lines in Valencia to build the new Mondeo but now, according to Mark Ovenden – Ford’s UK boss – the new Mondeo will arrive in the third quarter of 2014 in the UK and Europe.

Alfa Romeo 4C arrives stateside in New York

Not long after the last transport departed New York Harbor with a cargo of unsold 164s, an Alfa Romeo executive was probably quoted as saying, "we will return next year!" We have been eagerly anticipating the return of Alfa Romeo for the last 19 years, long enough for the last Milano to rust whence it came, every year the brand just another year away! Well, this year -- yes, this year, finally, no really -- the Alfa Romeo 4C heralds the brand's reintroduction to America -- just as it did last year, remember -- as early as this summer. You'll have to forgive us for such skepticism -- we've been burned by our desire to invoke Italian driving passion and all that, but it's also hurting the Fiat dealers who scrape by on a lack of product.