1981 Yamaha Xj550 Maxim Clutch Basket Pressure Plate/oem on 2040-parts.com

Jaguar to sculpt C-X16 clay model live in London

Jaguar is set to send a team of its clay modelers out to Clerkenwell Design Week to work on a full-size model of its C-X16 concept car in a display of the skills involved in sculpting and vehicle design. Julian Thomson, Advanced Design Director, Jaguar, said: "Jaguar is one of the most technologically advanced companies in the field of product development but we still believe in the sense of artistry. "Emotional connections are at the heart of our vehicles and the traditional process of working with clay with some of the best sculptors in the world allows us to refine them into the purest surfaces," he added.

Driven: Volkswagen Passat CC GT

Elegant and refined. Forty years ago these two words would not have been used to describe the Beetles bought in droves by the counterculture in the US; a symbol of the hippy movement and the definitive people's car, designed at a time when Germany sought to put people in motion. With the Passat CC, however, Volkswagen is indeed making a sharp move away from the ‘volks wagen', and these two words rolled off the tongues of those who saw the car in all three countries we drove through on our winter holiday.

Future products: Acura will push for luxury credentials without V8, RWD

The dreams of getting a V8 engine, rear-wheel-drive platforms and a sports car to replace the NSX have died for Acura dealers. Now the question is whether Acura can follow Audi's lead and elevate its brand from premium to luxury with front- and all-wheel-drive platforms. Meanwhile, Acura may return to two segments that it had abandoned by adding a compact car and a coupe.