Are BMW really trying to buy De Tomaso?

Reports from Italy say that BMW is in talks to buy De Tomaso, the perpetually failed maker of supercars. It’s long been rumoured that BMW has an interest in acquiring De Tomaso to give it a proper supercar brand to rival the offerings from the VW group. But, despite many opportunities to do so, BMW has never made the move.

Whos Where: Pierre Castinel is Head of Design at Tata

Indian automaker Tata has been front page news often in recent times, first because of the impressive one-lakh Nano, which changes the automotive industry playing field, and most recently because of its acquisition of Jaguar and Land Rover from Ford's Premiere Automotive Group for the tidy sum of $2.3 billion - less than half what Ford paid for both companies in 1989.  At the helm of Tata's design efforts is Pierre Castinel, Head of Design. Though only officially announced in March this year, Castinel has been active at Tata since he left Renault in summer 2007, a company he worked at for 20 years. Castinel started as a modeler for Peugeot and worked there for three years.

Saleen Sneak Peek

With the magical five-point-oh menacingly back on the quarter panels of 'Stangs, it didn't take long for tuners to saddle up performance steeds for 2011. Saleen Performance has goosed the 2011 Mustang GT with a slew of enhancements to create the S302, including a shorter-throw six-speed manual, optional brake upgrades that measure 14 inches with six-piston calibers and a Racecraft suspension that lowers ride height by 1.5 inches. The exterior gets rockers, a scooped hood and front and rear fascia, which are complemented by a redone interior with piano-black finishings.