Blog on 2040Parts

Delivery mileage Volvo 1800ES can be yours for $73,900

A 1973 Volvo 1800ES shooting brake has appeared for sale. Beyond the funky styling, orange over black leather interior and five-speed manual transmission, you're asking, so what? There's a grand total of 90 claimed miles on the odometer.

Honda CR-V Black Edition & White Edition launch

The Honda CR-V Black Edition (pictured) and White Edition launch The new Honda CR-V – a sensible type of SUV for car buyers who don’t need a ‘lifestyle’ SUV – has been with us for more than a year, so a limited edition model is called for to keep up footfall in Honda’s showrooms. That means Honda resorting to the tried and trusted route of monochrome specials with the CR-V Black Edition and CR-V White Edition with cosmetic tweaks for a bit more presence and extra kit for a bit more comfort. Both the Black Edition and White Edition get 19″ Orion alloys, exhaust finisher and privacy glass, a new patterned grill, tailgate spoiler, running boards and skid plates front and back.

Fiat to launch Panda Cross off-roader at Geneva

Fiat The Fiat Panda Cross will make its public debut at the 2014 Geneva Motor Show next month. Based on the Fiat Panda 4x4, the Cross is pumped up with bigger tyres, extra body cladding, raised suspension and myriad technologies to help the little off-roader keep moving when the going gets tough. New off-road technology for the 2014 Fiat Panda Cross As standard, the Fiat Panda Cross comes with a ‘torque-on-demand’ transmission that uses the car’s electronic locking differential (ELD) and advanced electronic stability control (ESC) to send torque to the appropriate axle when slip is detected.

Audi TT (2014) first official sketches

By Ollie Kew (images by Auto Bild/Larson) First Official Pictures 20 February 2014 11:00 Official Audi design sketches revealed today show the exterior styling of the new TT coupe. Festooned with cues from the original 1998 TT – something of a modern classic – the new car marries typical Audi cues with sharper, more aggressive details. It looks awfully close to CAR’s artist’s impression of the new TT in our gallery (see right).

One Lap of the Web: Le Mans souvenirs, F1 in 360, and a BMW fit for a biker

-- Collin Woodard was "that weird friend who was strangely committed to riding a motorcycle." Being the weird motorcycle-owning friend, however, can only get you so far until you start an influential motorcycle blog or start making sepia-toned hipster videos on expensive Canon 5Ds and wildly unreliable CB550Fs. Woodward needed a car, and boy did his friends have something to say about that! He looked at a Camry.

Park into the future in Los Angeles!

Parking is the lifeblood that keeps Los Angeles alive and its citizens moving -- and once they finish moving, they must find a place to stop. We define our relationships through parking. We memorize a byzantine code of 3R permits, metered parking, street sweeping times, two-hour-parking-8 a.m.-to-8 p.m.-except-Sundays, loading zones, taxi zones, fire lanes, bus lanes.

Chris Harris finds the McLaren P1 “a whole new thing” (video)

Chris Harris and McLaren’s Chris Goodwin in the McLaren P1 We know the McLaren P1 is exceptional, and we’ve heard almost the same ‘game changer’ dialogue from anyone who’s driven it. We’ve also seen the McLarenj P1 on the move in the recent Top Gear with Jeremy scaring himself witless in Belgium as his brain came to terms with the awesome 903bhp at the P1′s disposal on a less than forgiving Spa circuit in damp conditions. But what we have here – in case you’ve not seen it elsewhere – is a video review of the McLaren P1 from Drive’s Chris Harris, and it does the best job we’ve seen of explaining just why the P1 is so special and why it’s “…a whole new thing”.

Classic Toyota bus back in service

TOYOTA has restored one of its classic buses and is now using it again to transport staff around its factory in Japan. The 1969 Toyota Coaster looks better than new after a full rebuild by workers at the company’s HQ. They had to scour the shelves of warehouses to find unused original parts to help bring back the classic bus to full health.

Volkswagen Golf GTE plug-in hybrid revealed ahead of Geneva debut

The VW Golf GTE Plug-in (pictured) debuts at Geneva If you like a quite warm VW Golf with a petrol engine, VW has that covered with the Golf GTI, and if you’d rather burn oil you can do that too with the Golf GTD. But now there’s a third way – the Volkswagen Golf GTE plug-in hybrid. Combining a 1.4 litre TSI turbo petrol with 148bhp and a 101bhp electric motor, the Golf GTE manages a combined output of 201bhp, enough to get to 62mph in 7.6 seconds and return official economy figures of 157mpg and emissions of a paltry 35g/km.

Volkswagen Golf GTE plug-in hybrid heads to Geneva motor show

The range-defying Volkswagen Golf GTE will make its debut at the Geneva motor show next month. The magic is in the numbers. It comes with a four-pot, 1.4-liter turbocharged engine that can crank out 148-bhp, mated to a 101-bhp electric motor.

All-new Audi TT (2014) for Geneva Motor Show

The all-new, third-generation Audi TT will make its debut at the 2014 Geneva Motor Show next month. These are the first official images and details. As you can see, the only images of the new TT released so far are design sketches, rather than photographs of the real thing.

Four in 10 'driving damaged cars'

MORE THAN four in 10 UK motorists admit they are getting behind the wheel of vehicles that are damaged, according to shocking new research from Kwik Fit. From chipped windscreens to balding tyres, the 43% figure equates to more than 16 million cars on UK roads with potentially dangerous faults or damages. Damaged body work is the most common vehicle issue, as cited by over half (56%) of all motorists who admitted to driving damaged cars.

2015 Audi TT teased in design sketches

2015 Audi TT teased in design sketches The Audi TT is about to move in to its third iteration as it continues its progress from hairdresser’s car to mini R8, with a reveal of the 2015 Audi TT at the Geneva Motor Show next month. Ahead of that reveal opf the new TT, Audi has released two design sketches (above) to tease the changes it’s wrought to the TT and whet appetites for the proper reveal. The official design sketches show a TT that moves in the direction of the R8 in design,m with new grill, new headlights, sharper lines and the four rings badge moved up on to the bonnet.

Britain has busiest roads in Europe

It’s arguably the most predictable news story of the year so far, but research by the World Bank has revealed Britain’s roads are the most congested in Europe. According to the figures, there are 77 vehicles per kilometre of road in Britain – 76% higher than the European average. Compare that to Norway, where there are just 29 vehicles per kilometre.

Insurers urged to show old premiums

CAMPAIGNERS are urging insurers to show last year's premium alongside any renewal quote they give to prompt people to shop around more for a better deal. Research by Which? found that nearly nine out of 10 (85%) people would find it useful to have the amount they paid last year on a renewal letter for any type of premium such as car or home insurance.

Toyota teases new 2014 Aygo city car

This is the initial teaser image of the new 2014 Toyota Aygo, set to make its first public appearance at the 2014 Geneva Motor Show next month. The Japanese firm is yet to reveal any details on its new city car, but we do know that it has once again been developed in conjunction with Peugeot and the French firm’s latest 108 compact urban hatchback. On Bing: see pictures of the 2014 Toyota Aygo Find out how much a used Toyota Aygo costs on Auto Trader Just like the previous Aygo, the new car will share its chassis and engine line-up with the latest Peugeot.

Peugeot-Citroen signs £1.3bn rescue deal

French car manufacturing giant PSA Peugeot-Citroen has signed a £1.32 billion deal with Chinese carmaker Dongfeng Motors and the French government to secure its future. The far-eastern firm and the French government will each invest €800 million (around £660 million). Both organisations will receive a 14% stake in the business.

“Black box” drivers hit by speeding fines from insurers

Black box insurance is nothing new. In fact, the scheme – in which a small black box is placed in your vehicle to monitor how you drive – has been around for nearly a decade. In principle, it promises lower insurance premiums.

'Solid start' for car manufacturers

CAR PRODUCTION has made a steady start in 2014, according to the latest figures. A total of 128,620 cars were produced in the UK last month - just 0.3% down on the January 2013 figure, the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) said. SMMT chief executive Mike Hawes said: "There has been a solid start to 2014, matching the strength of January last year.

On video: the world's fastest truck

This is one lorry that you wouldn't get stuck behind on the motorway - Shockwave is the world's fastest jet-powered truck, with a top speed of almost 400mph. Based on a Peterbilt Semi, the four-ton beast generates 36,000hp and can cover quarter of a mile in six and a half seconds. Power comes from three Pratt & Whitney J34-48 jet engines, each of which produces 12,000hp.

Richard Hammond’s Nova heads to Beaulieu

Ever thought car museums were lacking abused Vauxhall Novas? No, us neither – but Richard Hammond’s Nova SRi from Top Gear’s recent retro hot hatch challenge is heading to the National Motor Museum at Beaulieu. It joins the likes of the Hovervan from the last series, as well as the indestructible Toyota Hilux in the World of Top Gear.

Land Rover Defender Black Pack and Silver Pack options revealed

The Land Rover Defender (pictured) gets new options Whilst Land Rover are busy deciding exactly what the next generation Land Rover Defender will offer when it arrives – probably in 2016 now – they’re not forgetting the current Defender. Heading for s debut at the Geneva Motor Show next month are two new option packs for the Defender – Black Pack and Silver Pack – as well as new extras and options on other Defenders in the range. The new Defender Black Pack comes with a Santorini black paint job for the roof, grille, wheelarches and headlamp surrounds, ‘Defender’ script on the bonnet, Privacy glass, Alston headlining and a choice of gloss black Sawtooth alloys or gloss black heavy duty wheels.

Aston Martin V8 Vantage N430 & DB9 Carbon Black & Carbon White Editions: Geneva 2014

The new Aston Martin V8 Vantage N430 (pictured) gets Vantage S power It’s tough having motor shows to attend and nothing new to offer, so car makers tend to deliver a ‘Special Edition’ of an existing model to make it look like they’ve made and effort. Step forward the Aston Martin V8 Vantage N430 and the Aston Martin DB9 Carbon Black & Carbon White Editions. There’s little new on offer, really, with a rehashing of what Aston Martin has produced before as ‘Limited Edition’ cars, with the V8 Vantage N430 continuing the theme of Vantage  ’N’ Editions and the Carbon’ limited edition’ DB9s done before.

Audi preps S3 Cabriolet for Geneva

Audi revealed the S3 Cabriolet on Wednesday, before its Geneva motor show debut. The go-fast version of the small A3 Cab shares the same widespread MQB architecture as the rest of the 3 range, but it gets a hotter engine, a lower stance and, of course, a rag top. It’ll arrive in Germany this summer, and possibly here sometime after the S3 sedan in early 2015.

BMW bobsled carries Team USA to Winter Olympics victory

At the Sochi Winter Olympics, Team USA took home its first medal in two-man bobsledding since 1952. Steven Holcomb, a former Alpine skier and National Guard soldier, and partner Steven Langton raced to a third-place finish in the event -- despite Holcomb's sprained left calf that doctors had to treat long into the night before the race. The margin of victory for the bronze medal was just 0.03 second.

Aston Martin V8 Vantage N430 and DB9 Carbon (2014) first official pictures

By Ollie Kew First Official Pictures 19 February 2014 11:20 Here we have the Aston Martin V8 Vantage N430 and the Aston Martin DB9 Carbon. The special edition Astons are Gaydon’s headline act for the 2014 Geneva motor show. While the Carbon White and Carbon Black DB9s are monochrome cosmetic exercises, the race-inspired Vantages enjoy a power hike and token diet to ramp up performance.

Range Rover Evoque Autobiography Dynamic: pictures and full details

Bam – how’s that for an attention-grabbing colour? This is the new Range Rover Evoque Autobiography Dynamic, and it’s more orange than the entire cast of TOWIE dropped into a blender. The reason we’ve all been Tangoed is simple – the Autobiography Dynamic joins the Evoque range at the 2014 Geneva Motor Show as a new high-performance model.　 Range Rover Evoque Autobiography Dynamic: technical details With 285hp and 295lb ft of torque from its 2.0-litre turbo petrol engine, it’s 45hp and 44lb ft more potent than the previous top dog – if still some way short of the likes of the 310hp Audi RS Q3 and the new 400hp Porsche Macan Turbo.

Ram 1500 EcoDiesels are selling like hotcakes so far

We've been anticipating the arrival of the Ram 1500 EcoDiesel -- and speculating about what it means for the pickup market -- for months. On paper, the truck seems to make perfect sense: The 3.0-liter V6 in the 1500 EcoDiesel returns 23 mpg combined (20 city/28 highway) while producing 240 hp and 420 lb-ft of torque. After taking it for a spin, the $30,465 base price didn't seem too bad, either.

‘Silver Pack’ and ‘Black Pack’ Land Rover Defenders headed to Geneva

The Land Rover Defender is one of those vehicles that we always hear about but never see at dealers stateside -- at least not since the ’90s. Unfortunately, that trend promises to continue with two new special editions: the Defender Silver Pack and Black Pack. Both will be shown at the Geneva motor show.

New Vauxhall Adam Rocks crossover for Geneva Motor Show

At the 2013 Geneva Motor Show last year, Vauxhall revealed the Adam Rocks concept – an Adam with raised suspension and chunky body cladding for that “just going off-roading, honest” lifestyle look. Now at the 2014 Geneva Motor Show we’re being treated to the real thing. And guess what?