16528-5s500 on 2040-parts.com

Porsche announces new Weissach design center and wind tunnel

Porsche is to invest around €150m into its Weissach development facility, including a new design center. The plans also include an electronics integration department and a state-of-the art, on-site wind tunnel, which is hoped will allow the company to realize an holistic approach to efficient design, with a strong focus on aerodynamics. When we spoke with head of Porsche design, Michael Mauer, at this year's Paris motor show, he also alluded to the fact that the Volkswagen Group's – and, more specifically, Walter de'Silva's – recent influence on the German manufacturer was shifting its attitudes: "The Volkswagen Group has a very good understanding of how much freedom a brand needs to keep its characteristics and with [Walter] as 'conductor', I feel a lot of support with design issues within the company," explained Mauer.

Aston Martin Project AM310 (2012) first pictures

This is Aston Martin's Project AM310. It's been created to preview the marque's upcoming successor to its sporting DBS flagship - now revealed by CAR as the 2012 Vanquish Mk2. Click here to read CAR's new scoop of the Vanquish - we've got the first picture of the V12 sporting a Vanquish badge.  Tell me more about the Aston Martin AM310...

Revolutionizing the BMW M3

BMW is less than a year away from officially revealing the fifth generation of the menacing M3, the first to receive turbocharged six-cylinder power. The performance sedan, code-named F80, is expected to appear as a lightly veiled concept at the 2013 Geneva motor show, debuting the appearance and mechanical package of the M division's eagerly anticipated Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG rival. A showroom-ready version with a production interior arrives at next year's Frankfurt motor show, BMW sources say.