9pcs Bmw M60 M62 Master Camshaft Vanos Timing Kit on 2040-parts.com

2013 VW Beetle Convertible: Price from £18,150

After a reveal in October, the New Volkswagen Beetle Convertible has debuted at the Los Angeles Auto Show and will cost from £18,150 in the UK. In fact, not only does the Beetle refuse to go away, it’s selling better than the ‘old’ Beetle ever did, with 230,000 Beetles built since the Beetle was revived eight years ago, only 100,000 fewer than the old Beetle sold in its 31 year history. And the new VW Beetle promises to be more appealing than the first iterations of VW’s revival of the Beetle, with their strapline for the latest model setting out its intentions clearly: ‘Less Flower – More Power’.

Mercedes launch new 9G-Tronic gearbox on E350 BlueTec

New Mercedes E350 BlueTec (pictured) gets 9-speed 9G-TRONIC auto It’s not exactly a million years ago that automatic gearboxes offered poorer performance and economy than manual gearboxes, and came as standard with just three gears. But now, automatic gearboxes are so good they can  change quicker than any driver and, with the proliferation of eight-speed auto ‘boxes, offer improved economy and performance too. The next logical step is even more ratios in an auto ‘box, and Land Rover has already revealed they’ll be fitting the Evoque with a 9-speed ZF ‘box from 2014, and the new Jeep Grand Cherokee gets a nine-speed auto ‘box too.

BMW 'Dwelling Lab' project

One of the most interesting pieces of work shown at the recent Milan Design Week was 'The Dwelling Lab', collaboration between BMW, Flos Lighting and Kvadrat fabrics. Artists Patricia Urquiola and Guilio Ridolfo were commissioned to effectively turn a BMW 5 Series GT inside out. The car is 'exploded' - with five giant cone-like structures growing out of the windscreen, door openings etc.