Blog on 2040Parts

Filson outfits the AEV Brute

The AEV Brute, a Jeep Wrangler stretched and turned into a four-door pickup by American Expedition Vehicles, already has so much going for it that we could hardly imagine how it could be improved upon. AEV was already famous for offering a wide variety of off-roading equipment before the debut of the well-received Brute double-cab pickup, a bespoke truck in the spirit of the Jeep Gladiator and the Land Rover Defender 130. Filson The Filson version features the 6.4-liter V8 instead of the V6.

U.S. Grand Prix (2013): RESULT

U.S. Grand Prix (2013): RESULT Sebastian Vettel was motivated enough in qualifying to snatch pole position from team mate Mark Webber – for a Red Bull front row – but was he motivated enough, even with the drivers title already won, to take a win at the 2013 American Grand Prix in Austin, Texas? Oh, yes.

One Lap of the Web: A 1,000 hp hearse, behind the Jean Claude Van Damme Volvo shoot and a secret Argentinian racetrack

-- We've said it before, and we'll say it again: There's something a little bit different about "professional car" people. Not bad, mind you, just different -- it takes a special sort of person to rock a vintage ambulance or hearse. But a blown Caprice corpsewagon kicking out 1,000 hp?

Dassault Systèmes and Autodesign & Styling's 'Prague Experience' contest launched

Dassault Systèmes and AutoDesign & Styling magazine are looking for designs for everyday objects inspired by the Czech capital of Prague for their annual international design competition. The contest, which is open to designers from all over the world, calls for entries that are both user- and eco-friendly and reflect the character of Prague as a European city full of famous architecture and hundreds of monuments. Anne Asensio, vice-president of design experience at Dassault Systèmes and jury president for the past two years, said, "We are pleased to announce the third annual competition, and we have already introduced a small tradition.

2014 MINI: OFFICIAL

Thye all-new 2014 MINI has been revealed ahead od public debuts in LA and Tokyo There’s not a whole lot we don’t already know about the all new 2014 MINI. But now it’s official, and so are the specifications. Sitting on the all new BMW platform UKL1 – which will also underpin the new BMW 2 Series Active Tourer – makes the new MINI, at least under the skin, much more a BMW than the outgoing MINI even though its is instantly recognisable.

Volkswagen CrossBlue Concept redesigned for LA Auto Show

Volkswagen has tweaked the CrossBlue Coupe Concept for the 2013 LA Auto Show after its appearance at the 2013 Shanghai Auto Show. The concept car itself is based on the CrossBlue three-row crossover concept that we saw at the 2013 Detroit Auto Show, and given Volkswagen's persistence with the concept and its favorable reception it seems like it may be headed for production in the not too distant future. Even though it appeared as a seven-seat crossover concept in Detroit, Volkswagen has apparently reconsidered the vehicle's size, and decided to target crossovers one size smaller in this iteration of the CrossBlue.

Porsche 918 Spyder with Weissach Package does 0-62 mph in 2.6 seconds

Porsche 918 Spyder with Weissach Package does 0-62 mph in 2.6 seconds The trio of hypercars currently vying for the title of the ultimate supercar – McLaren P1, LaFerrari and Porsche 918 Spyder – have all taken similar – but different – routes to performance, although they’ve all ended up with remarkably similar statistics. But the Porsche 918 Spyder has already scored a direct hit with a record time of 6:57s round the Nurburgring and now, ahead of the first customer cars finally reaching their homes, Porsche has revealed improved performance for the 918 Spyder with the Weissach Package fitted. Performance from 0-62mph is just 2.6 seconds (2.8 seconds without the Weissach Package), 124mph is reached in 7.2 seconds (0.5s quicker) and 186mph in 19.9 seconds (2.1 s quicker).

New cars will now NOT be getting any bigger!

A Vauxhall executive has made a bold statement – from now on, cars are not going to get any bigger. General vehicle dimensions across each sector of car are roughly now set to be fixed. “You can put a pin in a chart now,” explained the firm’s marketing director Stuart Harris.

Warning over winter driving dangers

A LEADING company car management firm has warned of the dangers approaching on the roads with the onset of winter. To coincide with National Road Safety Week LeasePlan UK has urged all drivers to consider the implications of their driving decisions as grip levels go down and accident rates go up. Government statistics reveal more than 6,200 accidents attributable to ice and snow last winter, and those are just the ones that were reported.

Lexus takes top spot in Kelley Blue Book's 2014 Best Resale Value Awards

We've always known that used Lexus vehicles keep their values well, and this fact has been recently reconfirmed for a third year in a row by Kelley Blue Book. Lexus took the top spot in the Luxury Brand category in the 2014 Best Resale Value awards, which was actually the fourth time overall that Lexus reached that spot, 2011 being the only year when Lexus didn't place first since the award's inception in 2009. Back In 2011 it was Subaru took took the award for Best Brand for resale values, while BMW took the Best Luxury Brand award for that year.

Nissan GT-R Nismo (2013) first official pictures

By Ollie Kew First Official Pictures 18 November 2013 10:00 This is the new Nissan GT-R Nismo, a fettled and powered-up version of Japan’s giant-killing super-coupe. Like Porsche’s GT3 and Ferrari’s 458 Speciale, the recipe for the GT-R Nismo has been to add power, strip weight and improve aerodynamics. The price has been tweaked too: from £76,610 to over £120,000.

Mini Cooper first pictures (2013) BMW’s new Mini goes back to the future

By Phil McNamara First Official Pictures 18 November 2013 09:00 Here comes BMW’s third new Mini since it relaunched the brand in 2001. But its appearance seems resolutely stuck in time, like John and Jackie Kennedy in Zapruder’s film of the Dallas motorcade, or like the fans who berated Bob Dylan for going electric.   There are no design surprises: the bodysides are curvy and more crisply pressed, the rear lamps supersized, otherwise the floating roof, wraparound chrome piping and wheel-at-each corner stance are all present and correct. ‘We need to be careful,’ BMW Group design director Adrian van Hooydonk told CAR.

Bad British drivers 'in denial'

A NEW study has uncovered the extent to which British drivers will stubbornly refuse to admit being wrong or behaving badly on the road. Almost all (98.7%) UK motorists believe they are safe drivers, but only 22.6% of those who had an accident admitted being at fault, which seems to display a degree of denial in British drivers when it comes to behaving badly on the roads. Carrot Insurance, which specialises in providing telematics-based policies to 17-24-year-olds, carried out the survey ahead of this week’s National Road Safety Week campaign and discovered several surprises.

Top Gear presenters banned from driving in France

Top Gear presenters Jeremy Clarkson and Richard Hammond have been banned from driving in France for three months after they were caught speeding. While filming for the show’s Top Gear Christmas DVD – called ‘The Perfect Road Trip’ – Clarkson and Hammond were allegedly caught travelling at over 87mph in a 56mph limit. Jeremy Clarkson: a life in pictures Jeremy Clarkson’s most infamous quotes That means the duo were more than 50kph over the legal speed, which attracts an instant driving ban in France.

Mini Cooper (2013) tech-spec and prices of new Mini

By Damion Smy First Official Pictures 18 November 2013 14:30 The new Mini model line-up starts with the Mini Cooper, Mini Cooper S and Mini Cooper D at launch, with a full line-up expected to trickle through after the March 2014 expected showroom arrival. The new stiffer, more rigid platform makes this the biggest Mini ever: the Cooper, which sits on 15in alloys, is 98mm longer, 44mm wider, sites 7mm higher and has wider tracks front and rear, too. The longer wheelbase means more stability and less of that Mini go-kart like skittishness around corners, as well as more passenger room and a larger, 211-litre boot.

New 2014 MINI revealed in pictures

The all-new 2014 MINI will today be revealed from the huge MINI factory in Oxford. The big reveal happens at 3pm and MSN Cars will be reporting from the event LIVE… …But the firm has already given us a couple of teasers that reveal some of the new car and give us an idea of what we can look forward to. They suggest evolution not revolution for the looks but suggest never-before-seen technology and gadgetry for the new MINI.

Mercedes AMG Vision Gran Turismo brought to life by Mercedes-Benz

Mercedes AMG Vision Gran Turismo brought to life by Mercedes-Benz The new Gran Turismo 6 is a big deal (out on 6th December) and Mercedes-Benz are making sure they’re able to grab a bit of the glory by building a full scale concept of the Mercedes AMG Vision Gran Turismo Supercar. The Vision Gran Turismo car has been created by Mercedes design team without the constraints of the real world, so we get a Mercedes supercar that goes a little beyond practical realities. There’s a great big statement grill that looks like an evolution of a 1950s Mercedes racer, a long bonnet, a compact cabin area and a back end with a tapered roof construct and huge bulging arches.

US Grand Prix (2013): Vettel steals pole from Webber

US Grand Prix (2013): Vettel steals pole from Webber Sebastian Vettel may already have wrapped up the drivers title, but that hasn’t taken away his motivation to win. Despite what looked like an unbeatable time by Mark Webber, Vettel managed to turn a lap that didn’t look like it had the legs in the first half in to a second half that pipped Webber to pole. Another Red Bull front row.

Mercedes-Benz reveals AMG Vision Gran Turismo virtual concept car

Isn’t virtual reality a great thing? It lets you push the boundaries and do things you wouldn’t get away with in real life. Which explains why we’ve been sent pictures of this – the Mercedes-Benz AMG Vision Gran Turismo, a concept car that will exist only in Gran Turismo 6 when it’s launched on 6 December 2013.

Mercedes AMG Vision Gran Turismo (2013) first official pictures

By Ollie Kew First Official Pictures 17 November 2013 09:00 This is Mercedes letting its hair down. Meet the AMG Vision Gran Turismo, an impossibly outlandish 300SL-inspired supercar that’s been created in partnership with Gran Turismo video game makers Polyphony Inc. The Vision GT will be a playable car in the latest release in the franchise, Gran Turismo 6, along with several as yet unknown concepts from other major carmakers.

New cars will now NOT get any bigger!

A Vauxhall executive has made a bold statement – from now on, cars are not going to get any bigger. General vehicle dimensions across each sector of car are roughly now set to be fixed. “You can put a pin in a chart now,” explained the firm’s marketing director Stuart Harris.

New Volvo Polestar teased. Is it a proper V60 Polestar? (video)

New Volvo Polestar teased. Is it a proper V60 Polestar? Last summer, Volvo came out of the woodwork with a proper performance version of the S60 saloon which had been fettled by Polestar and was good for 508bhp.

CONFIRMED: McLaren P13 will arrive in 2015 to take on Porsche 911 & Audi R8

McLaren has confirmed the McLaren P13 will arrive in 2015. The original plan for McLaren’s new range of supercars was that the 458-bashing 12C would arrive first (which it did) followed by a more affordable mid-engined car – think nearer £100k than £200k – to mop up sales from the Porsche 911 and Audi R8. But McLaren decided they should get the P1 out before the P13 so they could give their dealer network a nice halo model, and go head-to-head with LaFerrari and the Porsche 918 Spyder.

Top Gear’s Jeremy Clarkson & Richard Hammond BANNED from driving

Top Gear’s Jeremy Clarkson & Richard Hammond (pictured) BANNED from driving in France It’s an astonishing claim from a man with a lead right foot, but Jeremy Clarkson claims to have never been nicked for speeding. But that claim is something Jeremy will have to qualify by location in future after the French ‘Rozzers’ nicked both Clarkson and Richard Hammond on a Top Gear drive in France last month. How we all managed to miss this little snippet of news when Jeremy revealed it in his column in The Sun last month, we don’t know.

Police advocate 'role reversal' for cyclists and truckers

BRITAIN’S most senior police officer has advocated a scheme to improve cyclists' and lorry drivers' understanding of each other's needs on the road following a spate of deaths. Metropolitan Police commissioner Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe said drivers and cyclists need to think about how they use the road. Speaking on LBC 97.3, he said: "It's a tragedy that we've had so many deaths in the last few days.

Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG GT Final Edition confirmed for LA and Tokyo

Mercedes-Benz has confirmed its SLS AMG supercar will bow out at the 2013 LA and Tokyo Motor Shows with a limited-numbers GT Final Edition. The 350 examples of the SLS AMG GT Final Edition available are said to represent the ‘last opportunity’ for interested buyers to purchase an SLS before it gets pensioned off – perhaps in favour of a newer, smaller AMG-built sports car. On Bing: see pictures of the Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG GT Final EditionMercedes-Benz SLS AMG GT Coupe review (2013 onwards) Like the numbers, details about the SLS Final Edition are also limited at this stage, with this initial teaser release confirming little more than its motor show debuts.

Tokyo Motor Show 2013 preview guide

Next week is a busy week in the world of international motor shows, as both the LA Motor Show 2013 and Tokyo Motor Show 2013 kick off with press days on 20-21 November. MSN Cars will on the ground at both shows – but here are the cars and concepts that already have us excited about the Tokyo event. The Tokyo Motor Show is Japan’s premier motoring salon, and is located at the Tokyo Big Sight exhibition centre, 3-11-1 Ariake, Koto-ku, Tokyo.

Commute times increasing

COMMUTING times are starting to creep up after falling back during the recession, a new study has shown. Research by the TUC union revealed that men in their early 40s spend longest getting to and from work, at an average of more than 67 minutes a day. Commute times for women peak in their late 20s at 54 minutes and then start to fall as they get older, said the report.

Crash injuries force Franchitti to retire

SCOTTISH RACING STAR Dario Franchitti has been forced to retire after suffering a number of injuries in a high-speed crash during a race in the US last month. The four-time IndyCar series winner spent five days in hospital after suffering concussion, a fractured vertebrae and a broken ankle in the last-lap crash at the Grand Prix of Houston in Texas. Franchitti, originally from Bathgate, West Lothian, said he had taken the decision based on medical advice.

Subaru Legacy concept (2013) first official pictures

By Ollie Kew First Official Pictures 15 November 2013 16:45 This is the new Subaru Legacy concept car, which will be displayed at the Los Angeles motor show later in November 2013. Usually, we’re pretty wary of styling concepts, given how much poetic license they allow designers, before their sexy, swooping designs are diluted to meet crash and aerodynamic benchmarks. This Legacy’s design theme is its trademark ‘Symmetrical All-wheel drive’ system.