2001 Honda Trx400ex Trx 400ex Gear Shifter Lever on 2040-parts.com

Malaysian Grand Prix Qualifying: Hamilton grabs pole for Mercedes

Lewis Hamilton takes pole in Malaysia in heavy rain Lewis Hamilton has secured his second pole position in two outings for Mercedes at the Malaysian Grand Prix – equaling Jim Clark’s record of 33 poles – as rain turned the Sepang track in to a lake. And with drivers quickly going on to full wets – and cars flying off the track as the rain took control of the qualifying sessions – the playing field was levelled, allowing Red Bull’s reigning World Champion, Sebastian Vettel, to almost pip Hamilton to pole, taking second place just 0.055s behind the Brit. Behind Vettel is the winner of the opening Australian Grand Prix, Nico Rosberg, in the second Mercedes, followed by the Ferrari of Fernando Alonso and the Red Bull of new boy Daniel Ricciardo – who was so impressive in Asutrali two weeks ago – taking fifth spot.

Italian firm buys stake in Aston Martin

The former owner of Italian motorcycle maker Ducati has bought a 37.5-percent stake in financially strapped British car maker Aston Martin. The move means future Astons could use modern drivelines and electric architectures from Mercedes-Benz's AMG division, insiders with knowledge of the deal suggest. Private equity fund Investindustrial has signed a memorandum of understanding with current Aston Martin owner Investment Dar of Kuwait that will see it pay $240 million (150 million pounds) for the ownership stake.

Spied: The 2012 Volkswagen New Beetle looks a bit squished

Volkswagen's upcoming onslaught of new products includes a redesign for the New Beetle. The new New Beetle is expected to arrive in 2011 as a 2012 model, with a convertible version set to arrive a year after the coupe. Recent spy photographs of a prototype being tested on public roads in Europe show that the 2012 New Beetle has a roofline that has less arch than the current model.