Blog on 2040Parts

Driver accused over Google Glass

AN EARLY ADOPTER of Google's Internet-connected glasses plans to fight a fine for wearing the device while driving in California. She says the technology makes navigation easier than smartphones and GPS devices. Cecilia Abadie was pulled over for speeding and a California Highway Patrol officer noticed she was wearing Google Glass and added a ticket usually given to drivers who may be distracted by a video or TV screen.

Public urged to give view on A9 plan

THE PUBLIC have been urged to have their say on the design of the most expensive road project in Scotland's history. The £3 billion upgrade of the A9, which runs from central Scotland to the north coast, to full dual carriageway will cost more than the M74 completion, the new Forth road bridge and the Aberdeen bypass combined. The first public displays setting out the logistical and environmental impact of the first £40 million section of the upgrade, from Kincraig to Dalraddy in the Highlands, will be unveiled this month.

2014 Porsche Panamera Turbo S facelift revealed

The 2014 Porsche Panamera Turbo S (pictured) debuts in Tokyo next month. It’s six months since Porsche revealed a facelift for the Panamera and now, ahead of its debut at the Tokyo Motor SHow, we get the final piece of the Panamera range’s updates – the 2014 Porsche Panamera Turbo S. The cosmetic updates for the Panamera Turbo S are similar to those across the rest of the range, with small tweaks to the nose and front lights and bigger changes to the back with a bigger rear window and various tweaks to make the dog-humping back end of the Panamera a little more appealing.

2015 Ford Mustang spotted testing in Detroit

The 2015 Ford Mustang is nearing production. The proof is on Detroit's Woodward Avenue, where one of our readers spotted this mule in full camouflage. Upcoming cars usually don't hit the well-traveled strip of asphalt unless they're almost ready for the public.

Scions at SEMA

On Tuesday, Scion unveiled the cars it will show on its stand at SEMA and, while we appreciate the efforts of the tC tuners in the Scion Tuner Challenge, we gotta admit the FR-S entries and another stretch limo xB really caught our editorial eye. Coolest car of the night was a tie between the Ken Gushi GReddy FR-S and the Bulletproof Automotive FR-S. We couldn't decide which we liked better.

Land Rover Defender Challenge by Bowler – the Defender goes rallying

The Land Rover Defender goes rallying (pictured) with Bowler modifications The venerable Land Rover Defender – now reaching the end of its shelf life – may not seem the perfect rally car. But a Defender tweaked and fettled with some Bowler Fairy Dust is another matter, and that’s exactly what’s happening with a new, one-make Defender Challenge by Bowler – and backed by Land Rover – which is aiming to put up to fifteen Defenders in to UK forest stage rallies and hill rallies in 2014. The Defender in question is a Defender 90 Hard Top with the usual 2.2 litre diesel, but sorted by Bowler to deliver 170bhp and 323lb/ft of torque (up from the regular 122bhp/266lb/ft) with a standard six-speed manual ‘box, MSA roll cage, fire extinguisher and Khumo tyres.

New SEAT Leon Ecomotive: From £19,360 & 87g/km

The new SEAT Leon Ecomotive (pictured) is the most frugal Leon ever The new SEAT Leon Ecomotive – which debuted at Frankfurt last month – has now gone on sale in the UK and boasts of being the most efficient Leon ever. Available in 3-door SC, five-door and Touring versions, the Leon Ecomotive manages to improve economy and emissions over the already frugal regular 1.6 litre TDI by cutting emissions to 87g/km, equal to 85.6mpg. Part of the improved economy and emissions is down to weight saving – SEAT are claiming the new Leon  Ecomotive weighs 90kg less – low resistance tyres and improvements in aerodynamics of ten per cent.

Daihatsu to debut three Kopen concepts in Tokyo

Three new Daihatsu Kopen concepts have been revealed ahead of their unveiling at next month's Tokyo motor show. The blue and orange concepts are the RMZ model – although they feature slight differences – while the green car is the XMZ model. The concepts measure in at 3,395mm long, 1,475mm wide and 1,275mm tall and, like the recently discontinued Copen, fit into the Japanese ‘Kei' light car category.

Toyota unveils SEMA show Dream Build Challenge cars

Toyota's SEMA show plans this year are egalitarian: they include cars involved with two separate contests on which you, the custom car enthusiast, can vote online to your heart's content. Four cars took part in the Toyota Dream Build, now in its second year. Last year, Toyota's Dream Build enlisted people from the world of NHRA and NASCAR, who all came up with some extremely rad stuff.

Chrysler CEO vows never to repeat mistakes from Cherokee launch

Chrysler Group CEO Sergio Marchionne acknowledged mistakes in the way the company developed and launched the 2014 Jeep Cherokee, and vowed to never repeat them. "What we've learned is that we'll never repeat it. We're never going to take a plant down and be out of the market for over a year," Marchionne told analysts in a conference call today.

Classic Design Concepts to debut "Bad Penny" Ford Mustang

There won't be a shortage of custom-built Ford Mustangs at the upcoming SEMA show in Las Vegas, and there's one car that's already making waves before the show has even started. Classic Design Concepts has published photos and details of the "Bad Penny" Mustang that will be debuting at the show, and the company promises that it will be as fast and as mean as it looks. The base vehicle used for the build is a 2014 Ford Mustang GT, with a 5.0-liter four-valve Ti-VCT V8 engine mated to a six-speed manual transmission.

Vettel enjoys title toast

WORLD CHAMPION Sebastian Vettel has revealed he celebrated his fourth successive drivers' title with an impromptu night in his hotel bar before spending some time at home in quiet contemplation of his achievements. Vettel did not have too much time to bask in the glory of yet another all-conquering championship season as the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix follows just seven days later but he did admit the team spent a little while in the bar following the race win at the Buddh International Circuit. "Obviously it was a great relief when I crossed the line on Sunday," he said.

Autoweek's Best of the Best/Truck finalists for 2014

Every year, hundreds of new cars and trucks pass through our fleet for evaluation, and we're always on the lookout for those dazzling few deserving more careful scrutiny for our top honors: The Autoweek Best of the Best. We strive to do our judging under the radar with as little manufacturer knowledge as possible. We test for the Best of the Best by checking drivetrain, ride quality, handling, exterior styling and the like.

Used cars set for soft landing

THE USED CAR MARKET is set to see a gentle slow down towards the end of the year, avoiding the price crash feared by some in the industry. Experts at CAP Automotive say there are no shocks on the horizon as used car prices are not reducing as quickly as previously expected. This is due to high demand for quality used cars and limited supply.

Chrysler reveals SEMA projects

Chrysler teased a few of its SEMA vehicles in sketches earlier this month; now the company has unveiled its entire stand. Its display area at the Las Vegas Convention Center will show off 20 customized vehicles running the gamut from the Chrysler 300 to the Ram pickup and new Jeep Cherokee. The Ram Sun Chaser, in Vibrance Orange Blast and Brilliant Black, is based on the 1500 Quad Cab.

Volkswagen Woofwagen – There’s a dog for every VW (video)

There’s a dog for every Volkswagen Instead of focusing on marketing just one car in its enormous range, Volkswagen UK has decided to go mad and produce one video advert for its entire line-up. Sensibly, VW has used a simple mechanism to make sure the advert gets the attention of British car buyers by using 36 different dogs to identify with the over 20 car VW model range (and it’s not the first time VW has used a lot of dogs to promote their cars). With getting on for half of all UK households owning at least one dog, it’s a simple way to get attention from viewers along with lots of ‘Aaahs’ and ‘that one looks just like ours’ to keep attention to the end of the sales pitch.

Volvo is working on cordless charging for electric cars

Imagine not having to actually exit and plug in your electric car (assuming you have an electric car to plug in), and instead just parking it over a special parking spot. That's the promise of a new technology that Volvo is working on, and if taken to the mass market once made commercially viable, it means electric cars will be able to recharge just by sitting over a charger built into the parking spot's surface. That would certainly eliminate the need for those bulky upright chargers that are spreading around the country.

Chevrolet Corvette Stingray to showcase Toyo Tires at SEMA

If you thought that tire manufacturer will just have tires at their stands at SEMA... you probably haven't been to SEMA. The manufacturers' new tires tend to be coupled with spectacular show cars created in partnerships with tuners and coachbuilders, and this year there will be no shortage of show cars sporting the latest tires.

No Macan Can-Can ahead of Los Angeles debut

Our deeply absurdist, kitchy-kitsch streak wishes that Porsche would've seen fit to score this video with Jacques Offenbach's “The Infernal Gallop” in lieu of Some Generic Lux-Teuton 'Lectronic Track™. Maybe the automotive footage might've been intercut with Dutch camel racers wearing vintage Rijkspolitie outfits and libidinous dancing French girls. Zuffenhausen rarely accedes to our flights of fancy.

Porsche Panamera Turbo S – 0-62mph in 3.8 seconds

Porsche has revealed the full details of its new Panamera Turbo S, and it’s a monster. Set to debut at the 2013 Tokyo Motor Show in November, the Panamera Turbo S is no less than 50hp more powerful than the regular Panamera Turbo, and now sprints 0-62mph in less time than an Audi RS6. Or indeed the last generation Porsche 911 GT3.

World’s fastest Nissan GT-R hits 250mph

Nissan wanted to make its GT-R supercar slayer ‘untunable’. It failed. Why?

Rolls Royce Phantom Bespoke Chicane Coupe homage to Goodwood

The Rolls Royce Phantom Bespoke Chicane Coupe – with a touch of Goodwood When you get to the rarefied level of the Rolls Royce Phantom Coupe – starting point £253,000 – it seems almost odd to have a ‘Special Edition’ car with extra goodies bolted on. But that, in essence, is what the Rolls Royce Phantom Bespoke Chicane Coupe is, although it’s more a push for the abilities of Rolls Royce bespoke design division than anything else. Commissioned by Rolls Royce in Dubai, the Bespoke Chicane Coupe comes in an appealing shade of Gunmetal Grey with matt black highlights, wheels painted to match (usually an after-market happening) with lashings of red leather, carbon fibre and piano black trim on the inside with a starlight roof lining.

It looks like Aston Martin could be getting AMG/Mercedes platforms too

Mercedes/AMG platforms would make the Lagonda SUV a reality We’d been expecting Aston Martin to get access to Mercedes platforms ever since the Lagonda SUV – based on the underpinnings of the Mercedes GL - arrived in all its ‘beauty’ in 2009. The Lagonda SUV was met with wails of anguish from lovers of Aston Martin’s timeless beauty but, despite the horror at the looks of the SUV, the prospect that Aston Martin could be heading down a collaboration route with Mercedes was welcome. It was welcome because without the support of a major car maker – and access to its technology – Aston Martin would have little chance of a bright future; there is no way a minnow like Aston Martin could afford the development cost of new engines and platforms.

Five Suzuki concepts for 2013 Tokyo Motor Show

Suzuki has announced no less than five concept cars for the 2013 Tokyo Motor Show, which takes place in Japan this November. Four of them are new: the Suzuki Crosshiker, the Suzuki X-Lander, the Suzuki Hustler and the Suzuki Hustler Coupe – the fifth being the Suzuki iV-4 already seen at Frankfurt this year. Suzuki Crosshiker concept We’ll start with the best one, which is by no small margin the Crosshiker concept.

How celebrities stay safe in their cars with 007-style gadgets

You’re rich, famous and important enough to think you need a little more protection from your car than the standard anti-intruder alarm. What do you do? Buy a heavily armoured mobile fortress from US car modifiers ‘Texas Armoring Corporation’, of course.

2014 Land Rover Defender Challenge announced

By Damion Smy Motor Industry 30 October 2013 12:01 Land Rover has confirmed that it is the official sponsor of the 2014 ‘Defender Challenger by Bowler’, which will see a field of up to 15 tricked-up Defender 90s hit the rough stuff as crews get down and dirty, Dakar style. It’s all about enticing those who are curious about rally raids, such as the legendary Dakar event that’s held early each year. A lack of experience, as well as costs, has made it difficult for novices looking to qualify for the necessary licence, so the Defender Challenge is ideal for rally wannabes looking to dip a toe in the water, so to speak, with no experience required to enter.

LA Auto Show preview

The 2013 LA Auto Show opens to the public on Nov. 22 and runs until Dec. 1, promising something like 50 new cars and trucks—concepts, production cars, you name it.

Porsche Macan out playing in the desert ahead of an L.A. debut (video)

Porsche Macan (pictured) out playing in the desert ahead of an L.A. debut With Porche’s baby Cayenne – the new Porsche Macan – due to make its public debut in production guise at the Los Angeles Auto Show next month, Porsche has been busy building up interest in what should be their biggest seller in the years to come. There’s already a microsite for the Porsche Macan where Porsche has been busy teasing those who are interested with snippets of information and disguised photos, but now we get the Macan out frolicking on the sandy desert dunes in Dubai, the sort of video you’ll see from any car maker with a vehicle to show off that has off-road pretensions.

£127k McLaren MP4-12C tops the bill at BCA Auction

A host of luxury and performance cars went under the hammer at the BCA Blackbushe Top Car Auction this week, including a McLaren MP4-12C and a nearly-new Jaguar F-Type. BCA said, "the high-end prestige and sports car market has a strong following with buyers and we have seen lots of interest in high value vehicles during 2013, with bidders prepared to invest six-figure sums for the right vehicle." Judging by some of the prices realised, there are still bargains to be found... Please click the image above to read more about the BCA Blackbushe Top Car Auction

New York to LA record for pre-war cars to be attempted again in a 1930 Ford

Australians Rod Wade and Michael Flanders will be making a second attempt to drive from New York to Los Angeles in less than 60 hours on Nov. 22, after their first attempt ended two weeks ago with their 1930 Ford Model A suffering a mechanical failure 38 hours into the trip. That effort began in the early morning hours of Oct.