1940-42 Packard 180-su-8 Chrome Door Lock Striker Plates. (2) on 2040-parts.com

Audi's new A8 (2010): the first teaser photos

By Ben Pulman First Official Pictures 21 July 2009 17:34 Audi has released a teaser picture and sketch of its new A8 limo. Buried amongst the press material for Ingolstadt’s 100th anniversary were the two teaser images: the sketch reveals the headlight and grille design; the picture shows the A8 hidden beneath a black Audi-branded dustsheet.The A8 is currently in the final stages of testing, but Audi promises an unveil in ‘the late autumn of 2009’ – the new aluminium limo isn’t expected at the Frankfurt motor show this September, so we should see it in LA later in the year. Audi claims its ‘new flagship offers an impressive palette of innovative technologies and will redefine the benchmark for luxury saloons.’  A typically bullish claim – how will Audi match its boasts?The basic tech remains the same, with an aluminium chassis – which will also underpin the next Bentley Continental – that contributes to a significant weight saving.

Singapore billionaire Peter Lim invests in McLaren Automotive

Singapore billionaire Peter Lim has invested in McLaren Automotive and has taken a spot on the board of directors along with Ron Dennis, Mansour Ojjeh and the Bahrain Mumtalakat Holding Co., McLaren said on Friday. The company declined to reveal the amount of the investment, but privately held McLaren said it is a “significant amount.” More details of the deal will be announced closer to the Singapore Grand Prix. Lim is ranked as the eighth-richest businessperson in Singapore, according to Forbes, and he owns a chain of Manchester United-themed restaurants and bars in Asia.

Concept Car of the Week: Toyota EX-1 (1969)

Back in the 60s, Toyota launched a few iconic sports cars such as the 800 and the gorgeous 2000 GT. Not happy to have created automotive perfection with the latter, the Japanese brand went on to explore even more extravagant shapes and unveiled the first of the EX concepts series in 1969. While its bold lines are truly Japanese, the EX-1 looked like the missing link between the fast silhouette of a 1967 Maserati Ghibli and the hairy-chested heft of a Dodge Challenger.