1955 Chevrolet Bel Air Drivers Side Hood Reinforcement Rod on 2040-parts.com

Bob Lutz returns as General Motors adviser

The raspy voice of Bob Lutz will again be heard at General Motors. The company announced on Friday morning that its former product czar is returning as an adviser. Lutz had been advising GM executives on an informal basis, the company said.

Nissan 370Z Roadster (2009): full official photos

By Tim Pollard First Official Pictures 07 April 2009 22:01 Nissan has released its full official photos of the new 370Z Roadster in New York ahead of its debut at the 2009 auto show. As expected, it's a straightforward decapitation of the thrill-seeking 370Z Coupe, with a good, old-fashioned canvas soft-top in keeping with the Zed's no-nonsense character.There's structural reinforcement in the A-pillars and side sills to counter the lack of roof, but Nissan says numerous body panels are made from aluminium to keep weight in check. The bonnet, door panels and bootlid are all crafted from the lightweight metal and there are individual, fixed roll bars behind each seat.Providing the fun is the 327bhp/270lb ft 3.7-litre V6 with variable valve lift and the choice of a seven-speed auto or six-speed manual transmission.

Is the Jaguar XFR-S on the way?

Is the Jaguar XFR-S on the way (2012 XFR pictured) New reports suggest that the Jaguar XFR-S – a more powerful XFR with the output of the XKR-S – is close to production. Last summer we reported that a Jaguar XFR-S was being planned (actually, we also said a Jaguar XJR-S was in the planning too) in order to take the fight back to the Germans, with the latest iterations of the BMW M5 and Mercedes E63 AMG now offering more power than the XFR can muster. The idea of a more powerful XFR wasn’t just wild speculation (or an educated guess as to what Jaguar needed to do to keep in touch with German rivals) but was also based on Adrian Hallmark’s comments that it would be nice to take the power upgrades on the XKR-S and extend them to the XF.