99-03 Bmw 5-series Rear Center Dash Air Vent 8376150 Of0156 on 2040-parts.com

The real Bond car: Aston Martin that inspired 007 for sale

A gadget-packed Aston Martin that’s said to have been the inspiration behind James Bond’s Aston Martin in Goldfinger has been revealed in London prior to going up for auction at Blenheim Palace in July. The 1954 Aston Martin DB2/4 has been expertly restored by its current owners – who actually didn’t know the car could have inspired Fleming until they began restoring it. Years of research – and the nine-month nut and bolt renovation – followed, producing what auctioneers believe is a car that, if the right people are in the auction crowd, could make the owners very rich indeed.

College Exhibition: RCA/GM - Fast Forward 2049

First year students at the Royal College of Art recently held an exhibition at the London Transport Museum commemorating the 40th anniversary of the school's vehicle design course. Sponsored by GM's Opel/Vauxhall division, 19 students responded to a brief that called for them to ‘Fast Forward into the Future'. Divided into three groups - Inside Out, Urban Flow and Automark - the students devised their own notions of vehicles for the year 2049, and in some cases entirely reinvented Opel brand values and aesthetics.

2012 Volkswagen Beetle to launch with Black Turbo edition

Volkswagen is borrowing a page from sister company Porsche and will turn to the color black to sex up the soon-to-arrive 2012 VW Beetle--and to draw attention to a preorder program launching this year. The Beetle Black Turbo edition follows in the lineage of Porsche 911s augmented with Black editions, and the VW will sticker for $25,720, including shipping. Power comes from a 2.0-liter four-cylinder rated at 200 hp and 207 lb-ft of torque, which is the same as the regular turbo Beetle--and VW's hot hatch, the GTI.