3900121 Avon Vt-62-ch V-cruiser Grips W/cable Throttle (chrome) on 2040-parts.com

Peugeot 308 CC (2008): first photos

By Tim Pollard First Official Pictures 11 July 2008 09:26 Peugeot – the pioneer of folding hard tops – today unveils the new 308 CC. It's not a radical coupe cabriolet, but it's a gentle evolution of the 307 CC blueprint: a four-seater family hatch turned convertible.The French company invented the first production opening metal roof back in the 1930s, after a few coachbuilders toyed with low-volume concepts, and then brought them to the mainstream with the 206 CC in 2001. The new 308 CC follows the same formula with a metal roof that somersaults into its loadbed in 20 seconds to leave a completely flat (if long) rear deck.Gobbling boot space as it goes?Naturally, the  boot shrinks when the roof is lowered, dipping from 465 litres to 266 when it's stowed.

U.S. car sales jump 20% in August

UPDATED -- U.S. auto sales--led by Honda Motor Co., the Volkswagen Group and Toyota Motor Corp.--jumped 20 percent last month for the strongest monthly pace in three years. The Detroit 3 also posted double-digit sales gains for August, signaling the auto industry's recovery remains solidly on track despite sluggish economic growth, rising gasoline prices and widespread consumer uncertainty.

Design Review: Bertone Birusa concept

The new Birusa concept unveiled today shows Bertone returning to what they do best - a flamboyant showcar giving us a vision of how the high performance GT car (front engine, rear drive, two seats) could evolve stylistically in the near future. Based on a BMW Z8 aluminium chassis lengthened by 300mm, it's a refreshing piece of exuberance by the Italian company and a celebration of what they achieved in the 1960s and 70s. The wedge-shaped profile is characterised by a classic Bertone device - a dihedral-shaped side window with an undercut lower glass section, as featured on showcars such as the Boomerang and Carrabo.