1978 Pontiac Firebird Trans Am 400 Ta 6.6 Used Oil Filter Adaptor Housing on 2040-parts.com

Mini Vision concept: what does it say about the brand's future?

The sight of Mini design head Anders Warming presenting a holographic, 3D projection of the Mini Vision concept as if appearing in his own cartoon was certainly a new one on us, but it captured the quirky, slightly left-field image the subsidiary of BMW Group has cultivated since its relaunch 13 years ago. As the 'Vision' tag suggests, this is billed as a marker of intent for the brand's future design direction rather than a pre-production teaser of the new Mini hatchback (Cooper in most markets) we'll see later this year. However if the third-generation 'new' Mini doesn't look remarkably similar we'd be amazed, such is the level of productionized detailing on this purely digital model.

McLaren P13 – first OFFICIAL details and image

McLaren P13 (pictured) first OFFICIAL details revealed It was only last month that we had official confirmation that the McLaren P13 – McLaren’s more affordable mid-engined supercar – would arrive in 2015 to take on cars like Audi’s R8 and the top end Porsche 911s. Now McLaren has gone a bit further and revealed details of the P13. The McLaren P13 – shown above in a sketch by McLaren’s design boss, Frank Stephenson – looks to take its design cues more from the MacLaren P1 than the 12C – a good thing – and will utilise the same carbon fibre MonoCell chassis as the P1 and 12C as well as a de-tuned version of the same 3.8 litre V8 turbo.

NHTSA investigating Toyota Prius hybrid for steering-shaft concerns

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration announced Monday it will look into whether steering shafts in Toyota Prius models spanning from 2004 through 2009 model years are defective. According to the Detroit News, NHTSA has already recalled the Toyota Prius twice for steering-shaft problems. In 2012, 669,000 Prius vehicles from 2004-2009 model years were recalled to replace the steering-shaft extension assembly.