Blog on 2040Parts

Nissan creates a self-cleaning Note – and this one’s for real. (video)

The Nissan Note that cleans itself The Sunday chore of cleaning the car is beloved (and loathed, in equal measure) by those who’d rather do it themselves than pay a man with a bucket, a sponge and a chamois  to oblige. But regular car washing – for anyone – could be a thing of the past thanks to a new nano-paint technology. The newly developed super-hydrophobic and oleophobic paint manages to repel water and oil, which means stuff like everyday dirt, mud and rain don’t have the chance to cling to the car’s paintwork.

Audi A3 crowned 2014 World Car of the Year

10 years in, the World Car Awards are now the most recognised awards for new car excellence on the planet. As a member of the UK jury, I strive to appraise, analyse and drive every contender, from what is a long roll call.   The final shortlist was announced at the Geneva motor show in March, with the results revealed at the New York Auto Show.

UK car production jumps as Europeans buy British

The UK’s car production jumped by 12% last month as demand from Europe for British-built cars increases. Nearly 80% of cars made in the UK are exported worldwide, and 142,158 were produced in March 2014 – compared to 126,909 in March 2013. Official: UK car production is booming UK car production hits six-year high That means so far this year the UK has built 404,803 cars, a rise of 2.9% compared to this time last year.

Top Gear 'regrets' Clarkson remark

TOP GEAR'S producer has apologised after broadcasting a "light-hearted" joke by Jeremy Clarkson that sparked a complaint of racism. The episode, which was filmed in Burma and Thailand and shown in March, featured a scene where the motoring show's stars built a bridge over the River Kwai and as an Asian man walked over it Clarkson said: "That is a proud moment, but there's a slope on it." Somi Guha, an actress who complained to the BBC, said the use of the phrase was an example of "casual racism" and "gross misconduct". The BBC2 show's executive producer, Andy Wilman, said: "When we used the word slope in the recent Top Gear Burma Special it was a light-hearted word play joke referencing both the build quality of the bridge and the local Asian man who was crossing it.

Rolls-Royce debuts Pinnacle Travel Phantom in Beijing

Another major car show in the eastern hemisphere, another special edition Rolls-Royce Phantom.To underscore the importance of the Chinese market to Rolls-Royce, the company unveiled the Pinnacle Travel Phantom from its Bespoke Collection at the China motor show in Beijing this week. Meant to showcase Rolls-Royce's popular Bespoke program in this rapidly emerging market, the Pinnacle Travel Phantom takes its cues from the heyday of luxury travel. No, not the era of $39 flights from Vegas to Reno in a Carter-vintage 737, but the era of travel by luxurious cross-continental trains.

Lamborghini turns Black Cab for a day

HAVE YOU ever seen a Lamborghini taxi? Probably not, but for one day only the brains behind the new Pure Rally initiative turned a Gallardo supercar into a London Black Cab. Londoners and tourists alike were able to hail the 201mph 'Lambo Cab' on Wednesday April 23, as part of a publicity drive to promote a new, more affordable kind of pan-European car rally adventure.

rusEFI: Open-source homebuilt fuel-injection set to rival Megasquirt

Electronic fuel-delivery and ignition controls have given us a new golden age of engine efficiency and performance. Most of us would never go back to the dark ages—say, before 1990—when you could still buy new vehicles with carburetors and clunky distributors. From the point of view of those of us who like to modify our cars, however, the black-box nature of engine-control computers limits our options for making changes to how our fuel-delivery and ignition systems function.

Ecclestone in court over 'bribery'

THE TRIAL of Formula One boss Bernie Ecclestone on bribery charges has begun in a case that could threaten his grip on the sport. Ecclestone, 83, talked with his lawyers and smiled as he took his place at the Munich state court today. He is accused of bribery and incitement to breach of trust, and could face up to 10 years in prison if convicted.

Watch this 'Fast and Furious' remote control tribute

The convergence of great remote-controlled cars and super cheap video cameras has brought us more RC spoof videos than we know what to do with. But this one stands head and shoulders above the rest. Vax Studios put this “Fast and Furious” homage together and dedicated it to the late Paul Walker.

Scion introduces FR-S Release Series

Scion introduced the first FR-S Release Series car, “drawing on track heritage and the expertise of Toyota Racing Development" at the New York auto show. The biggest change on the FR-S Release Series is the custom-designed aerodynamic work, including the front lip, rear spoiler and side skirts. It also gets Toyota Racing Development quad exhaust, lowering springs and a smart key with push-button start.

Watch Tesla Model S testing new titanium armor

In a missive signed by Elon Musk himself, Tesla announced it would be adding titanium plates and aluminum deflectors to all new Model S sedans and offering free retrofits for the 20,000 or so existing EVs. The company earlier offered an over-the-air software update to raise the ground clearance of the Model S so the car would be more likely to clear dangerous road debris. The actions were in response to well-publicized fires in the electric luxury sedans.

Porsche Macan gets 2.0 litre 4-cylinder petrol engine

Porsche Macan gets 2.0 litre 4-Cylinder petrol engine The new Porsche Macan looks set to change the rules for the compact SUV market, with class best handling and dynamics and performance that beats many a focused hot hatch. But despite beliefs Porsche would offer its first 4-cylinder engine in a generation at launch, the only engines on offer were a 3.0 litre diesel in the Macan S Diesel, a 3.0 V6 Turbo in the Macan S and a 3.6 litre turbo in the Macan Turbo, with expectations that the Macan wouldn’t get a four-cylinder engine util the end of 2014. But it looks like an early arrival for the four-pot Macan with news it’s getting a new 2.0 litre 4-cylinder petrol engine which delivers 237bhp and 258lb/ft of torque, enough to get the Macan to 62mph in 6.9 seconds and offer official economy of 37.6mpg.

Ford Fiesta ST3 is the new range-topping ST

The Ford Fiesta ST3 (pictured) launches The absence of an RS Ford at the moment means lovers of fast Fords have to settle for an ST, rather than a full-fat RS. But it seems that those who do opt for the ST versions of Ford’s cars are willing to pay more to get a bettered specced car, something Ford are happy to accommodate with the launch of a new Fiesta ST model – the Ford Fiesta ST3. Ford are already seeing the vast majority of Fiesta ST buyers opting for the ST2 version (9 out of ten choose the more expensive version) so they’re obviously hoping a big chunk of those buyers will instead now opt for the better equipped – and more expensive – Fiesta ST3.

Range Rover Hybrid LWB debuts in Beijing

The Range Rover Hybrid now comes with added length We’ve already seen the Range Rover Hybrid and the LWB Range Rover, but now we get the two together with the debut of the Range Rover Hybrid LWB at the Beijing Motor Show. Just like the normal Rangie Hybrid, the LWB version comes with a 3.0 litre diesel engine coupled to an electric motor with an extra 47bhp making a total of 345bhp. It also gets extra torque – 516lb/ft.

Beijing Auto Show 2014 – the 15 cars that really matter

With somewhere around 90 world debuts, the Beijing motor show certainly had the numbers – if not the organization – to live up to its billing as one of the world's most important auto shows. The back-story to these figures however is that the majority of these unveils were of lightly-revised versions of existing models – from facelifts to localized versions of cars already on sale in other markets. That's not to say there was nothing of interest to see inside the maze of halls at the China Exhibition Center.

Hennessey Cadillac Escalade gets 557 hp

The 2015 Cadillac Escalade is about as American as an SUV can be. We didn't find the 420-hp, 6.2-liter V8 lacking in any way, but if you want something with a little more grunt, Hennessey Performance Engineering and its HPE550 upgrade should help. Hennessey says the HPE550 Escalade package bumps output to 557 hp and 542 lb-ft of torque with the help of a belt-driven supercharger producing 6 psi.

CDN-Interior Motives China Conference 2014 – Day 2

Chris Bangle gave those contemplating a lie-in after the first day of the CDN-Interior Motives conference the incentive to grab a front-row seat for his opening keynote. Thought-provoking, clear and inspirational as ever, we will cover Bangle's 'State of the Union: Time for Deep Car Design?' presentation in a separate feature. There's simply too much to cover in detail to include here.

2014 Beijing Motor Show: weird and wonderful Chinese cars

The Chinese auto industry might not be the most important in the world yet, but it’s getting there. It’s already the top market for a large number of top-tier brands like Mercedes-Benz, and the industry has progressed to the point where companies including Nissan are setting up brands specifically to cater to the needs of Chinese buyers. But as far as Chinese brands go, things are very much a work in progress.

Ford GT40 prototype sold for £4.2 million

One of four original Ford GT40 racer prototypes has sold at auction in the US for a staggering $7 million. That's £4.2 million. The Ford GT40 is famous for several things – being the product of Ford’s frustrated attempt to buy Ferrari, becoming an enormously successful Le Mans winning racing car and standing just 40 inches tall.

Mobile phone use most hated by drivers

THE MOST HATED driving habit in the UK is using a mobile phone to call or text while behind the wheel. A study has found 47% of British drivers say this is the habit they despise the most in other drivers. Using a mobile phone while driving is illegal, but other poor driving rated highly in Britain’s top 10 most hated driver habits.

Porsche Macan gets four-cylinder powerplant

The new entry level Porsche Macan, shown alongside the new Boxster and Cayman GTS at the Beijing motor show, has become the first Porsche model since the 968 to use four-cylinder power. Parent company Volkswagen's EA888 engine -- as used by a wide range of models from Volkswagen, Audi, Skoda and Seat -- will motivate the new Porsche SUV. The turbocharged 2.0-liter inline four-cylinder direct-injection unit, boasting the same state of tune found on the Golf GTi Performance Package, develops 234 hp and 258 lb-ft of torque between 1,500 and 4,500 rpm.

One Lap of the Web: Packards -- Ask the man who knows way too much about one

-- For some light Wednesday reading, here's more information than you ever wanted to know about Packard. It includes the horrible neoclassics that plagued the 1970s, and the 1995 revival of the Packard name that attempted to stick a shortened rendition of the famous Packard grille in front of a 440-hp V12, all wrapped in a shape that looked like a melted Twix, as shown above. Our august associate editor Graham Kozak owns a Packard, so he could have filled us in on the details.

Top Marques Monaco 2014 supercar show: in pictures

Top Marques Monaco  truly is the supercar motor show by the sea. Hosted on the Mediterranean shoreline, the annual event is where the playboys of the world come to browse the most expensive cars, jewellery and clothing. We take a look at some of the highlights from Top Marques 2014.

Range Rover by Overfinch has 30% higher residuals than a standard Range Rover

The 2014 Overfinch Range Rover (pictured) keeps its value It’s generally considered that money you spend on enhancing a new car by getting one of the plethora of customisers to add interesting bits is money down the drain. But as we reported back in 2012, that’s definitely not the case with the Range Rover by Overfinch. In fact, the last model of the Range Rover had residuals a full 23 per cent more if it was an Overfinch version rather than a regular Range Rover, which made opting for an Overfinch makeover almost a no-brainer.

Paint your nails with Ford Mustang colors!

When the Ford Mustang came out in 1964, some dared deride it as a "secretary's car," as if just happening upon the discovery that women might -- for some reason, who knows, the harried dames -- enjoy driving automobiles as well. What a concept. Fifty years later, Ford seems to be making the same discovery all over again.

In pictures: the new £5m Haynes International Motor Museum

Anyone who has headed to the West Country on the A303 over the past two and a half years can’t have failed to notice the building work going on at the Haynes International Motor Museum. The museum - which first opened its doors in 1985 - has been the subject of a £5 million modernisation project. But finally - some ten years after the original plans were drawn up - the new and much improved Haynes International Museum is now open to the public.

Young women risking unsafe lifts

THOUSANDS of young women are risking their lives and safety by accepting lifts from drivers they don’t know or drivers who are under the influence of drink or drugs. Among young women aged 17- to 25-years old who don’t drive, it was found that 6% have accepted a lift from a stranger. That figure rises to 13% who have got into a car with a driver who has been drinking alcohol or taken drugs.

Volvo marks 50 years of child seat with inflatable design

IT IS 50 years since Volvo first introduced the rear-facing child seat to better protect children in cars. To celebrate this half century, the Swedish firm has come up with a new inflatable child seat that is easier to install and carry. The Inflatable Child Seat Concept weights around half of what a normal child seat does.

Skoda trio voted 'best in Britain'

BRITISH drivers are happier with their cars than ever before, especially if they own a Skoda. According to new figures collected by Auto Express magazine's annual Driver Power survey, the average satisfaction rating for a car in the top 100 was a huge 88.36%, which equates to a 7% rise since the survey’s launch in 2002. Steve Fowler, editor-in-chief of Auto Express, said: “The UK car market is booming at the moment with over two years of consecutive growth and new car registrations up 3%, and it is no surprise given the Driver Power results.

Britain’s most reliable cars revealed in 2014 Driver Power survey

UK car drivers are happier with their cars than ever before, according to a survey of over 50,000 motorists. The Driver Power survey by Auto Express found that the average satisfaction rating of a car in the top 100 was 88.36% - a rise of 7% compared to when the survey was launched in 2002. When completing the survey, owners are asked to rate their cars for factors from reliability to running costs and from comfort to ease of driving.