2001 Suzuki Rm250 Front Fender (b) 01 Rm 250 on 2040-parts.com

Japan automakers extend shutdowns as quake impact widens

Japan's seven big automakers are extending nationwide production shutdowns amid growing concern about supply chain interruptions, power shortages and export difficulties following the massive earthquake and tsunami that hammered northern Japan, killing thousands. Toyota Motor Corp., one of the few automakers with a major manufacturing presence in the quake zone, suspended all manufacturing--at both assembly and parts plants--on Monday and extended the shutdown through at least Wednesday as an added precaution. The company will lose output of roughly 40,000 vehicles over the three-day period, spokesman Dion Corbett said.

Toyota GT86 TRD Griffon heading for Goodwood FoS

The Toyota GT86 TRD Griffon (pictured) will be at the Goodwood FoS We’ve had a road-going version of the Toyota GT86 fettled by TRD and now we’re getting a track-focused version too. Just like the Toyota GT86 TRD, the Griffon version gets a makeover from Toyota Racing Division, and just like the road-going version – which costs £31,495 – the Griffon track version has to make do with the same 197bhp flat four engine the stock road car gets. But the changes to the GT86 Griffon are more extreme than the road-going version, with a focus on shedding weight and sharpening responses.

End of the road for 'Queen's favourite' car

ONE OF the most-loved and long-lived road vehicles, and a favourite with the Queen, is to cease production. The last Land Rover Defender will be produced by Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) at Solihull in the West Midlands in December 2015. Featuring in the Angelina Jolie film Lara Croft: Tomb Raider and in the latest James Bond movie, Skyfall, the Defender name can be traced back to the early 1990s.