American Eagle Wheels, Style 140, 16 X 8, 5 X 135mm Black With Polished Lip Rims on 2040-parts.com

Electric cars must get noisier, ICE cars must get quieter

Electric cars will have to make a noise to protect pedestrians It’s four years since the Lotus solution for making electric cars noisy raised its head, since when the US has had a go at the Pedestrian Safety Enhancement Act in 2010 to do the same thing, the Japanese are playing too, and Toyota revealed the Prius Vehicle Notification System, and now the EU has decided its time to act to make EVs emit ‘noise’. Despite the most appealing part of an EV being that it makes our cities quieter, legislators worry about the blind, partially sighted and distracted pedestrian (think earphones and a Smartphone) being mowed down by a stalking electric car and feel the need to act. So the European Parliament has decided that by 2019 new models of electric vehicle will have to make a noise in cities, and that by 2021 all new hybrids and electrics must be noisy too.

Porsche 911 50 Years Edition celebrates the 911′s half century

The Porsche 911 50 Years Edition (pictured) celebrates half a century of the 911 If you’d guessed how much the Porsche 911 would change in the coming years when it was first launched in 1963, there’s a pretty strong chance you’d have decided the shape would change out of all recognition and the engine would move from the back to the front. But you’d have been wrong. The Porsche 911, perhaps more than any other car ever made, has evolved over its 50 years of life instead of being replaced by a new and ‘better’ car.

Cadillac CTS Coupe, CTS-V (2008): first official pictures

By Ben Oliver First Official Pictures 16 January 2008 04:07 Cadillac showed three major new models at Detroit, and pulled off one of the show’s few surprises by keeping its new CTS Coupe completely secret until it was officially unveiled. It also revealed the 550bhp CTS-V and the Provoq small SUV concept (see separate story). Although branded as a concept, the striking, angular two-door four-seat CTS Coupe will come to Europe in 2010 and will come here because it is based on the CTS saloon platform which will be offered in right-hand drive in the UK and other overseas markets.