1965 Chevy Truck Parking Brake Lever on 2040-parts.com

India turns the screw on luxury car makers

Land Rover will still be sending CKD to India despite the rise in import duty India’s economy is growing almost exponentially, as a result of which it has a big, rising middle-class with much the same aspirations as the middle-class in the West. Those aspirations include the accumulation of status symbols considered worthy of representing their success and new wealth, none more so than a good set of wheels. So it’s no surprise that the mainstream luxury car makers – Jaguar, Land Rover, Mercedes, Audi and BMW – are ready, willing and able to provide exactly what India’s middles classes are looking for.

JCB DieselMax

Following its display at the Goodwood Festival of Speed last month, the JCB DieselMax has recently proved itself the fastest yet diesel-powered car during Speed Week at the Bonneville Salt Flats, Utah. Andy Green, who in 1997 broke the sound barrier on land in Thrust SSC, piloted DieselMax to reach a top speed of 350.09mph, increasing the existing record set in 1973 by over 100mph. Helping the JCB DieselMax achieve this is a drag coefficient of just 0.174 and two 4.4-liter four-cylinder engines, each producing 750PS.

Vauxhall Insignia VXR revealed

Range -topping Vauxhall Insignia VXR to launch at Barcelona in May Latest to the market is this range-topping Insignia – the Vauxhall Insignia VXR (Opel Insignia OPC in Europe) – a 325bhp rocket version of the successful Insignia. With a new adaptive four wheel drive system and electronic limited slip diff, the Insignia VXR has bags of grip and great roadholding. It sits 10mm lower than the Insignia SRi, and the HiPerStrut front suspension keeps torque-steer in check.