Blog on 2040Parts

Volvo V40 range gets new Drive-E engines

From May this year Volvo will update its V40 model, equipping the premium Swedish hatchback with its range of high-efficiency Drive-E engines and Volvo’s latest eight-speed automatic gearbox. This means the revised V40 line-up now offers an impressive performance to efficiency ratio, with 190hp on offer in the D4 turbodiesel variant, returning a claimed 74.3mpg combined with 99g/km CO2 when mated to the six-speed manual. On Bing: see pictures of the Volvo V40 Find out how much a used Volvo V40 costs on Auto Trader This makes it even more efficient than the current, less powerful 177hp, 185g/km D4 turbodiesel.

Unique pre-war Lagonda saloon headed for auction

AN ULTRA-RARE V12-engined Lagonda Hooper two-door saloon from 1939 is set to headline an auction of amazing old cars. The Lagonda V12 Hooper is technically unique in history, having been built specifically for the wife of the owner of Hooper Bodies Ltd., the most noted coachbuilder of the pre-war era. Now, 75 years after it was built, it needs a complete restoration but still looks set to receive bids topping at least £75,000.

This classic Porsche paddock looks good in Lego

Malte Dorowski loves building Porsches out of Lego, as demonstrated by his Flickr photostream. Here, he re-created the entire Porsche Martini paddock in Lego. The results are stunning.

Time Warp Volvo 340 To Sell At Auction

IF you’re not a fan of modern cars then a ‘time warp’ Volvo 340 that’s surfaced after years of inaction could be the car for you. On the bill at a forthcoming classic car sale at Anglia Car Auctions on Saturday April 5th, this 132 mile Volvo hasn’t even been run in and, according to the auction house, comes complete with that distinctive new car smell. The car was bought brand new from Lancaster Volvo and was barely used by the original owner.

Paul Walker crash: 93-mph speed to blame

The investigation into the Porsche Carrera GT crash that led to the deaths of actor Paul Walker and Roger Rodas has been completed. Unsafe driving, rather than a fault with the car or the road surface, has been named as the cause. Walker and Rodas were killed when their Porsche Carrera GT skidded off the road in a Los Angeles-area business park on Nov.

Mitsubishi Lancer Evo X FQ-440 MR (2014) first official picture

By Ollie Kew First Official Pictures 26 March 2014 16:00 Mitsubishi is unleashing a comeback-special Evo X to celebrate the company’s 40th Anniversary in the UK. The FQ-440 MR is the most powerful Evo ever sold by Mitsubishi, thanks to a storming 440bhp output from its 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder engine. Mitsubishi claims this ultimate Evo X develops a maximum of 412lb ft at 3100rpm: 25lb ft more than the previous top-dog Evo X achieved.

Paul Walker crash 'caused by speed'

CRASH INVESTIGATORS have determined that the Porsche carrying "Fast & Furious" star Paul Walker was travelling at approximately 90mph when it lost control on a California street and smashed into a light pole, killing the actor and his friend. A person who has reviewed the investigators' report said that it concluded unsafe driving, not mechanical problems, caused the crash. The report says driver Roger Rodas was going between 81mph and 94mph when his 2005 Porsche Carrera GT began to drift as it lost control after coming out of a curve.

2014 Mazda 3i Grand Touring test drive

What is it? The 2014 Mazda 3 marks the introduction of the third generation of Mazda's most popular car. The first generation was produced from 2003-2008, the second gen began in 2009.

Crash driver ran up £95k hire bill

A TRAIN GUARD ran up car hire bills of more than £95,000 after his £8,000 Mercedes was written off in an accident, a court has heard Sameer Umerji, from Bolton, Greater Manchester, entered into a credit hire agreement with a car rental firm which ran for around 18 months, judges were told. Detail has emerged in a written ruling by the Court of Appeal - after Mr Umerji and insurers became embroiled in litigation. One appeal judge, Lord Justice Underhill, said the car hire sum was "remarkable" given the value of the Mercedes.

SEAT confirms it will launch its first SUV in 2016

SEAT The Spanish carmaker SEAT today confirmed it will launch its first SUV in two years' time. Likely to be inspired by the IBX concept car, the new SEAT 4x4 will share technology with Volkswagen's compact SUV range. Little has been announced about the launch of SEAT's SUV, but the company has shown a clutch of concept cars over the past decade, including the IBX (above) and the Tribu (below).

Time-capsule DeLorean with only 309 miles emerges

We see time-capsule cars on a pretty regular basis, but they seldom happen to be proper time-travel cars as well. Of course we're talking about the DeLorean DMC-12, an automobile whose several thousand examples were believed to be largely accounted for. So imagine our surprise when we heard about a DeLorean recently found in a storage bay with delivery mileage on the clock and a mild layer of dust on its stainless-steel body.

One Lap of the Web: Cozy Coupes and '80s ATVs

-- Bill Simpson is a legend in the world of motorsports -- so much so that it might have taken you a moment to realize that there is a real Simpson behind those Simpson helmets. After 40 years spent saving the lives of drivers everywhere, a few years ago Simpson had a chance encounter with then-Indianapolis Colts offensive line coach Tom Moore. So he decided to tackle (heh, punny!) the world of youth football with carbon-fiber and Kevlar helmets that weigh less than 2 pounds and have already started reducing concussions in high school games.

Pirelli World Challenge star Andy Pilgrim makes teens, parents better drivers

Here's another addend in the complex driver-training equation: Many parents influence their kids to become both a greater danger when driving and more susceptible to the actions of other poor drivers. This influence begins long before kids are licensed to drive. Consider: -- “More than 75 percent of new drivers exhibit the same distracted driving behavior as their parents.” -- “Most parents are unaware they are teaching their kids things that will make them more dangerous to others and more vulnerable to others.” -- “Most parents want to protect their children and will make changes once they understand the realities of behavior transfer.” These are the words of Andy Pilgrim, the same championship-winning sports-car driver who helped road-test editor Jonathan Wong thrash Porsche's 911 GT3 and Chevrolet's Camaro Z/28.

Koenigsegg One:1 preparing for Geneva & hosted by Christian von Koenigsegg (video)

Christian von Koenigsegg walks us round the new Koenigsegg One:1 The first sniff of the Koenigsegg One:1 came at the end of 2012 when Cars UK exclusively revealed the first details of Koenigsegg’s Megacar. It took more than a year for Christian von Koenigsegg and his intrepid team to complete the first car, but it was worth the wait. Probably the supercar star of the Geneva Motor Show earlier this month, the One:1 gets 1360 HP and weighs just 1360KG – the the world’s first 1:1 power to curb weight ratio supercar – and has 2G cornering ability and 610kg of downforce at 160mph thanks to active aerodynamics.

Audi Kicks Off Le Mans Campaign In Style

THERE’S no getting away from the fact that Le Mans is a big deal for Audi. The German car maker has dominated the famous endurance race in recent years, and to reinforce the event’s importance the launch of its 2014 car was a little unconventional. The Le Mans circuit is unusual in that, for most of the year, part of it is a public road.

Buy a Corvette Stingray, get a performance driving school discount

New Corvette Stingray owners can get a sweet deal at the Ron Fellows Performance Driving School at Spring Mountain Motorsports Ranch in Nevada. The two-day program will cost owners just $1,000, instead of the usual $2,500, Chevy said on Wednesday. “We designed the Corvette Stingray to make its owners better drivers through technologies such as the driver mode selector, active rev match, electronic limited-slip differential and more,” said Tim Mahoney, chief marketing officer, global Chevrolet.

Seat confirms new SUV model: is Skoda next?

By Ollie Kew and Damion Smy Motor Industry 26 March 2014 13:00 Seat has officially announced today that it is developing an all-new compact SUV model to join the Spanish outfit’s range in 2016. Seat says that the new SUV is already two years into development at the company’s Martorell technical facility in Spain. The as yet unnamed car is likely to share engines and platform with other ‘compact SUVs’ made by parent company, Volkswagen Group, such as the next-gen VW Tiguan and Audi Q3, which will use the MQB modular architecture.

Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X FQ-440 MR special edition revealed. Costs £50,000

The Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X FQ-440 MR special edition will cost £50k The Mitsubishi Lance Evo X bit the dust in the UK in 2011 after the Yen’s strength made it impossible for Mitsubishi UK to import the Evo X and sell it at a price buyers could swallow. But the weakening Yen – and Mitsubishi’s 40th anniversary – sees Mitsubishi UK backtracking and delivering a limited run of special edition Evos for the UK – the Lancer Evolution X FQ-440 MR. The Evolution X FQ-440 MR comes with 440bhp, a Janspeed exhaust, Mitsubishi’s SST gearbox, Janspeed intake and cooler piping kit, Motorsport spec high-flow injectors, Alcon brakes, lowered suspension and S-AWC 4WD, with exterior titivations including 18″ BBS alloys, Bi-xenon headlights, front fogs and silicone wiper blades.

Ford gets the 1965 Mustang ready for the racetrack

When a pair of 1965 Ford Mustangs served as pace cars for the 1964 Indianapolis 500, the car -- which had made its debut just a few weeks before -- was kicking off an exciting motorsports career that continues to this day. In the April 25, 1964, issue of Competition Press and Autoweek, we shared news (relayed to us by none other than Lee Iacocca) of the Mustang's racing ambitions. At the time, the competition schedule included the Midnight Sun road rally in Sweden, the Alpine rally in France and Spa-Sofia-Liege rally, which ran between Belgium and Yugoslavia.

Bertone looking for buyers as bankruptcy nears

Italian design house Bertone has confirmed it entered bankruptcy proceedings in Italy, The Telegraph reports, amid recent reports that it laid off a significant percentage of its workforce. A spokesperson for the struggling company told The Telegraph that the company is searching for a buyer. "The problem is many debts and very high costs.

SUV owners to pay more for parking

SUV drivers should get ready to pay more at the parking lot, especially in big cities. MarketWatch reported on Wednesday that parking lots are going the way of airplane luggage: Bigger means more expensive. The report found that Manhattan garages charge $10-$15 more per day for oversized vehicles.

Peugeot confirms Dakar rally motorsport return for 2015

Carlos Sainz (left) and Cyril Despres, the drivers lined up for Peugeot Sport's 2015 Dakar effort By Ollie Kew First Official Pictures 26 March 2014 14:00 Peugeot has announced today it will enter the 2015 Dakar rally. It brings to an end a 25-year absence from the off-road endurance race for Peugeot, which it won four times (1987, 1988 1989 and 1990). Peugeot will enter a rally raid-spec 2008 crossover (called the 2008 DKR) in the 16-day event, which runs over 16 days, beginning on January 5, and cover a distance of 5281 miles.

Bondurant enters SCCA Hall of Fame

The Sports Car Club of America inducted its new members into the SCCA Hall of Fame on March 8, including racing legend Bob Bondurant. Bondurant joins Kathy Barnes, Dan Gurney, Dr. Bob Hubbard, Jim Downing and Pete Hylton as the class of 2014.

SEAT SUV confirmed for 2016

SEAT Compact SUV gets a green light for 2016 (SEAT IBX Concept pictured) SEAT has been threatening to build a compact SUV for years, and back in 2011 it revealed the IBX Concept (pictured above) which was the SEAT take on the Audi Q3. Now, finally, it seems VW has signed-off on SEAT’s compact SUV and the new compact SUV will hit the market in 2016, hopefully giving SEAT’s poor sales a real boost. Expected to be based on the VW MQB platform, the SEAT SUV should enable SEAT to properly compete in Europe and tap in to a market that has grown by 40 per cent in the last few years whilst SEAT’s existing market for its cars has shrunk and been compromised by a weak economy in Europe where the vast majority of SEAT’s sales are made.

Volkswagen Aims High With Refreshed Polo

VOLKSWAGEN has announced pricing and specification details ahead of the launch of its updated Polo. The first deliveries of the cosmetically and mechanically enhanced supermini are expected in July, with the entry-level model priced from £11,100. The flagship BlueGT model will run to £19,715.

See craftsmen build the Maserati Alfieri

At Geneva earlier this month, Maserati debuted the Alfieri concept, a love letter to Maserati's first 100 years and a preview of the next few years, if not the next 100. Here, design chief Lorenzo Ramaciotti shows how the Alfieri -- named after one of the five Maserati brothers -- was inspired by the 1954 Maserati A6GCS/53, as previously threatened, especially in the proportions. But like any car, the key is always in the proportions.

Alfa Romeo 4C to spearhead marque's return to the US

Alfa Romeo is coming back to the U.S. this summer, and at next month's New York auto show the company will present the 4C Coupe to the American public. We need to take a step back to point out that even though the Alfa Romeo 8C Competizione was officially sold on our shores in a handful of locations (to a smattering of well-heeled buyers), the automaker's planned return this summer will offer cars for--ahem--a slightly larger audience.

Higher speed limits result in fewer crashes

Raising the speed limit can make roads safer, according to a study carried out in Denmark. The Danish Road Directorate monitored how driver behaviour and accident rates changed when speed limits on country roads and motorways were increased. Need for Speed film review 60mph M1 motorway speed limit proposed Auto Express magazine reported that there was a drop in the number of accidents when the speed limit on single carriageway roads was increased from 50mph to 56mph.

Hennessey to build limited-edition Venom GT WFE

Hennessey Performance is building an extremely limited run of World's Fastest Edition Venom GTs to celebrate the company's top speed run of 270.4 mph set at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in February. It holds the unofficial record for fastest series-produced road car and the official record for standing-start acceleration. The Venom GT hit 186 mph in 13.63 seconds.

One Lap of the Web: Small cars, thrifty cars and AWESOME cars

-- In Mexico, Chevrolet launched a special version of the Spark called the Dot Edition. It has dots on the hood, roof, and bumper. That says it all, really.