Abarth Metal Emblem Campione Del Mondo (stemma Fregio Abarth Originale) on 2040-parts.com

Toyota says quake-hit plants escape major structural damage

Toyota Motor Corp. has released the first damage report for its northern Japanese factories in the region hammered by Friday's massive earthquake, saying some equipment and fixtures will need repairs but that the plants sustained no major structural harm. For days after the quake, Toyota had trouble contacting it plants in the northern Japan quake zone, making it difficult to assess their status.

Race2Recovery starts new Dakar challenge

A TEAM of disabled ex-soldiers has arrived in South America to take on this year’s Dakar rally, known as the toughest motoring challenge on the planet. Race2Recovery, the team of severely injured servicemen and civilian volunteers, is taking a second shot at the Dakar after last year becoming the first all-disabled team in history to complete it. This year the 5,600-mile course travels through Argentina and Chile, crossing the Andes mountain range and the Atacama Desert, where temperatures are expected to top 40 degrees Celsius.

Vauxhall VXR8 GTS (2013) first pictures of Aussie M5-killer

This is Vauxhall's BMW M5 and Mercedes E63 AMG fighter: the new VXR8. The £55k rear-drive saloon doesn't just beat its German peers for price though. It's also punching with the heavyweights in the power stakes, developing 576bhp and 545lb ft.