4.3l, V6 Vortec Gm Marine Complete Bobtail on 2040-parts.com

Mercedes and McLaren – the end of the road

The last SLR Stirling Moss ends the McLaren Mercedes relationship Times they are a changin’ for Mercedes & McLaren. The very last Mercedes McLaren SLR – The McLaren SLR Stirling Moss – has now rolled out of production at McLaren in Woking and both Mercedes and McLaren are going their seperate ways. McLaren is working to bring the new McLaren MP4-12C to market by 2011 as a replacement for the SLR, and Mercedes has already launched their replacement – the Mercedes SLS AMG Gulllwing – although it will be a few more months before cars hit the road.

Jaguar hybrid cars due in 2013-14

Jaguar will launch its own hybrid vehicles soon after Land Rover, CAR can confirm. Parent company Jaguar Land Rover is developing battery-assisted hybrid versions for both brands but its strategy puts part-electric Land Rovers first on the launchpad in 2013.Hybrid Jaguars – set to include the XJ and XF, but eventually every model – are therefore likely to be on the market by 2013-2014, using a similar eight-speed ZF hybrid transmission to petrol-electric BMWs.The staggered roll-out of battery Jags and Land Rovers makes sense: heavy 4x4s have come in the firing line from green protestors who label them Chelsea Tractors. Hybrid Land Rovers will trim emissions and – in plug-in hybrid mode – enable even big bulky Range Rovers to drive in zero-emissions mode into central urban areas emitting nothing more unsaintly than an electric whir.So which Jaguars will go hybrid first?It's likely that the largest models such as the XJ will receive the hybrid power packs first; large cars reap the greater benefit and can more easily swallow the additional cost, put at around £10,000 in today's money.JLR's Midlands engineering bases in Whitley and Gaydon now employ 100 engineers in the expanding hybrid powertrain business unit launched 18 months ago.

Chevrolet Corvette ZR1 will be Indy 500 pace car

The 2013 Chevrolet Corvette ZR1 will be the pace car for this year's Indianapolis 500--a fitting victory lap as the current sixth-generation Corvette heads for the end of its production run and the end of this version of the ZR1. The Indy pace-car Corvette will wear the 60th-anniversary trim package--an arctic white exterior with silver stripes down the center of the car and a blue interior with suede leather coverings on the steering wheel, center console and in the seats. Changes for the pace car include only the addition of a light bar on the roof, some racing-safety equipment and race logos.