1982 Yamaha It 250 Trials J17 Brake Pedal Assembly Linkage on 2040-parts.com

BMW UK updates and extends 3 Series, 5 Series & 6 Series

BMW UK is adding new models and engines to its UK line-up, including xDrive 3 Series models, 520d Gran Turismo and a new 650i engine. BMW UK is having a comprehensive update of UK models and options right across the range, with a focus on more economical options on the 3 Series, 5 Series and 6 series models. Probably the big news for the BMW 3 Series is the arrival of the BMW ActiveHybrid 3 which gets the TwinPower 3.0 litre and a 55bhp electric motor to deliver 0-62mph in 5.3 seconds and official economy of 47.9mpg.

First Sight: Mercedes-AMG GT

“If I was to buy any sports car that wasn't a Mercedes, it'd be a Porsche 911,” says Mercedes' head of design, Gorden Wagener. “But when you see the two cars together, we think ours has the edge.” He's talking about the new Mercedes-AMG GT, a front-mid engined, two-seater sports car that's unashamedly aimed at higher-end 911s, and we've come to see it at Mercedes' Sindelfingen studio.  The GT replaces the larger SLS, and is seen by Wagener as the best example yet of his 'sensual purity' design philosophy: “The SLS is very much [he gestures] line, line with a surface in between. With the GT we started with the surface and worked to refine and reduce the number of lines.” Elements of the SLS's platform have been carried over, so the GT measures the same 1,939mm wide.

The Chevrolet El Camino turns 55 today

When your author was 14 years old, his first car, a 1975 Chevrolet El Camino, arrived in his parents' driveway. You can read all about that particular swivel-seated malaise special elsewhere on this site. Today, that is not so important.