Beck Arnley 036-1719 Valve Cover Gasket Set-engine Valve Cover Gasket Set on 2040-parts.com

Chris Bangle resigns as BMW Group Design Director

BMW today announced that Chris Bangle is resigning from his position as Head of Design for the BMW Group. Bangle will be handing over his post to current Head of BMW Automobile Design, Adrian van Hooydonk, when he leaves the company to pursue his own design-related endeavors outside the auto industry. Bangle has worked closely with van Hooydonk at BMW Group Design Development for nearly 17 years.

2011 Audi R8 GT, an AW first look

Three years after it burst onto the supercar scene, Audi has unveiled a hard-core version of its R8 called the GT. Based on the existing mid-engine R8 V10 and incorporating aerodynamic, weight-saving and mechanical developments used by the company's R8 LMS GT3 race car, Ingolstadt will build just 333 copies of the new 560-hp four-wheel-drive performance flagship. Pricing has not yet been revealed, but given the extent of the changes to the new two-seater, buyers should expect a hefty premium over the R8 V10's $147,000 price tag when the GT goes on sale in North America.

Faster Cat: Arden tunes the Jaguar XKR 75

Jaguar celebrated its 75th anniversary with a number of special models, including the fleet-footed XKR 75. And a British tuner is goosing this lithe coupe even more. Arden boosts output to 580 hp and 531 lb-ft of twist, while bolting on a high-performance exhaust system and sport catalysts.