55 56 1957 Ford Thunderbird Original Heater Defroster Flutes on 2040-parts.com

MINI miffed at Spy Photos of 2014 MINI Hatch

MINI has released their own ‘Spy’ shot of the 2014 MINI hatch (pictured above) The rise and rise of the internet in recent years has seen the once niche market for spy photos of unreleased cars go mainstream, and whether car makers like it or not they can be sure the moment they take their new pride and joy on the road it will be papped and online. Most unrevealed cars go out testing covered in swirly camouflage and padded add-ons to disguise shape and form, but this week a 2014 MINI hatch was snapped with no disguise at all, and it didn’t look great. It didn’t look great because the photo was taken from such a distance it distorted perspective and made the new MINI look a very odd shape.

Jaguar: from granddad's XJ to my XJS

A love of Jaguars from childhood is a common theme among the Jaguarati and I am no different. My grandfather owned Jaguars for 50 years, each one bought from new and a treasured possession. I was incredibly impressed by these beautiful beasts, where only the crunch of gravel heralded his arrival, nothing as common as an engine note.

BMW i Ventures buys in to ParkatmyHouse.com

BMW i-Ventures invest in ParkatmyHouse.com Earlier this year – when BMW launched their BMW-i Brand – there was also news of a new BMW company – BMW i Ventures – which BMW said they were setting up to invest in interesting stuff related to cars. BMW stated their goal as “…to expand the range of products and services offered by BMW i in the long term by taking stakes in highly innovative service providers”, and their first investment was in to an app business -  My City Way – which provides users with information on public transportation, parking availability, and local entertainment. BMW argue – very sensibly – that our fuel usage can be cut by using common sense and new technology.