1950 Plymouth Deluxe/suburban Wagon Hood Ornament on 2040-parts.com

Aston Martin ‘Power Beauty Soul’ European Tour

Aston Martin are taking the Vanquish, V12 Zagato and V12 Vantage Roadster on a PR tour of European Aston Martin dealers. For a car company with limited technical resources, one platform and two engines, Aston Martin are making a pretty good fist of launching new models. We’ve recently had the launch of the Aston Martin Vanquish – successor to the DBS – with a harder edge and a bigger price tag, the V12 Vantage Roadster with the glorious V12 where it should be – in the front of an open-topped car for aural joy – and the V12 Zagat0, a limited run collaboration with Zagato at three times the price of the donor car.

Obituary: Bob Wallace, Lamborghini test driver

Bob Wallace, Lamborghini’s first ever test and development driver, has passed away in the Italian supercar manufacturer’s 50th anniversary year. He was 75. New Zealand-born Wallace played a key role in the development of the firm’s road cars between 1964 and 1975, having joined the company initially as a mechanic.

Porsche Macan to get a bolder look before launch

The Porsche Macan – the baby Cayenne – is to get a new, bold look before it launches in 2014, to make it better able to compete against the Range Rover Evoque. The Porsche Macan, Porsche’s baby Cayenne based on the underpinnings of the Audi Q5, is a big deal for Porsche. Having discovered that an SUV could revive their fortunes after they launched the Cayenne a decade ago, the smaller, lower-priced Macan should give both Porsche’s sales and profits a big boost.