1962-63 Ford Federal Mogul Intake Valves on 2040-parts.com

Pontiac SD-290

According to GM, the Pontiac SD-290 concept is "Designed to evoke the emotions of classic sports cars". Introduced at SEMA, the vehicle is derived from a Pontiac Solstice but has been transformed into a pure single-seat race car with its passenger compartment made obsolete by a hard tonneau cover. Despite its competition red paint scheme, it is difficult not to relate the SD-290 to the timeless shape of a D-Type Jaguar. We can also see the influence of BMW's 2004 H2R land speed record breaking concept in the SD-290's asymmetrical layout, with its racing cockpit protected only by a small windscreen in front of the driver and a faired headrest and roll-bar behind the seat.

Renault Eolab Concept

Renault has bucked the trend of rather uninspiring Paris Motor Show previews with the Eolab. This B-segment-sized car that has been designed to a brief that states it must return fuel economy of 2l/100km (118mpg US/141mpg UK), and that all of its major technical innovations must be production-feasible by the year 2020. The Eolab is actually two cars – the Eolab prototype, which the engineering team has signed off as capable of 1l/100km (235mpg US/282mpg UK), and the Eolab Concept, which was overseen by the design team.

Real UK car sales ‘have halved’ in November 2008

By Tim Pollard Motor Industry 02 December 2008 09:58 The United Kingdom’s car market is in freefall, CAR has learned. Although official registration figures won’t be released until later this week, we can reveal that retail sales slumped by 45% in November 2008. It’s a crucial metric, retail registrations being actual sales to real people – as opposed to bulk-buy fleet deals to businesses (which are also down).