Blog on 2040Parts

Nissan Note Boat makes a splash (video)

Nissan Note Boat makes splash Before you get carried away the the thought that Nissan has somehow turned out a new Note that can turn itself in to a boat, they haven’t. Instead, Nissan’s PR has decided to bolt the new Note to a floating platform to demonstrate the versatility and some of the technology of the new Note. Nissan went of to Eton Dornay Lake – scene of some of our remarkable rowing feats in the 2012 Olympics – with a modified Note with a sliding single stroke seat for a rower to allow the Note – with its wide opening doors – to accommodate an oar poking out of each side.

Mustang logo inspired by football game?

Did inspiration strike Lee Iacocca during a football game at the University of Michigan 50 years ago? At the time, Iacocca was a vice president with Ford Motor Co., which was preparing to roll out a new sports car the following spring. On Sept.

OFFICIAL: 2014 BMW 2 Series

OFFICIAL: 2014 BMW 2 Series The new BMW 2 Series has been leaking like a sieve for the last week or so, so BMW must be relieved it’s now official and out in the open. Much of the detail we’ve already reported is confirmed with the official reveal, and we already know what the 2 Series looks like thanks to the official photos leaking yesterday, , but now we know which models are going to be rolling in to BMW’s UK showrooms in early 2014. There will be three 2-Series models available at launch – the 220i, 220d and M235i – which will cost £25,040, £25,868 and £34,250 respectively, with a choice of four trim levels - SE, Sport Modern and M Sport.

Autoweek's 2014 Best of the Best Finalists -- sneak peek

Every year, as hundreds of new cars and trucks pass through our fleet for evaluation, we are always on the lookout for those dazzling few deserving more careful scrutiny for our top honors, the Autoweek Best of the Best. It's down to three cars and three trucks that our regular readers quickly will recognize in the video above, designed to whet your appetite as we get further along in the judging. We'll be bringing you full details on our Best of the Best/Car and Best of the Best/Truck finalists in the coming days, along with updates as we get closer to announcing our winners in the December 23 issue of Autoweek.

Concept Car of the Week: Buick Wildcat (1985)

Before the Specialty Equipment Manufacturers Association (SEMA) show in Las Vegas became the capital of obnoxious extravagance, car manufacturers and suppliers saw it as an opportunity to exhibit their latest innovations, giving the public an exciting insight into the future of automobiles. This is when, in 1985, Buick unveiled the totally unexpected Wildcat concept, which broke radically with the brand's stodgy image. Proportionally, the weight is placed forward, with a thin and low tail.

One lap of the web: Hood ornaments, TVR, XJ220 and the Dodge Challenger Hellcat

Petrolicious is talking about artist Rene Jules Lalique and his famous “car mascots.” Lalique was a French designer known for his glass art, perfume bottles jewelry and of course hood ornaments. Petrolicious has a selection of detailed pictures from Lalique, each one more impressive than the last. Bring a Trailer is hawking a 1967 TVR 2200S Special Race Car on its website.

2014 Honda Civic Si to be revealed at SEMA

The 2014 Honda Civic Coupe Si makes its world debut at the SEMA show next month. The Civic Si is being updated for the third time in recent memory, after journalists generally panned the 2012 model. The new car will be revealed in the morning on Nov.

'First Aid' penalty notice scrapped

A MOTORIST who received a penalty ticket when a camera car spotted her in a loading bay in Bristol after pulling over to administer first aid to an injured cyclist has had it cancelled. Janet Young had gone to help the cyclist in Church Road, St George, after he clipped a pavement and came off his bike. Mrs Young, a receptionist from Bristol, said despite the ticket she would do the same thing again.

Duke of Windsor's Cadillac for sale

A 1941 CADILLACE custom-built for the Duke and Duchess of Windsor is to be auctioned in New York City. Dubbed The Duchess, the limousine features rose-coloured broadcloth upholstery, four jewellery cases and three cigar lighters. It's estimated to fetch between 500,000 and 800,000 dollars (£309,000 to £494,000) when it is sold on November 21 by Sotheby's and RM Auctions.

Audi and VW tuner ABT Sportsline to show Audi AS6 sedan at SEMA

ABT Sportsline well-known in Europe for tuning Audis and other Volkswagen Group brands, working on everything from SEATs to Škodas, though few outside the Audi community in the U.S. are aware of their tuning and DTM racing efforts. To get the U.S.

Audi announces 2015 A3 pricing

The last A3 we drove, an Irish-spec model with cloth seats and a 1.4 TSI engine paired with Audi's S-tronic twin-clutch gearbox, retailed for $54,495. Thankfully, American buyers won't face that sort of out-the-wazoo payment when the new sedan arrives early next year. Audi's announced a price that takes a direct shot across the bow of rival Mercedes-Benz' CLA: $29,900.

BMW 2-series (2013) first official pictures

By Ollie Kew First Official Pictures 25 October 2013 11:00 This is BMW’s new entry-level coupe: the 2-series. Yes, like the 4-series replacing the 3-series coupe, BMW has opted for an even number to set its sporty model apart from the regular 1-series hatchback. It’s on UK sale from March 2014, priced from around £25,000.

BMW 2 Series Coupe revealed: stylish new looks for 1 Series successor

BMW has revealed the new 2 Series Coupe range – the stylish successor to the rather awkward-looking BMW 1 Series. If only that car had looked like this all along… Set to go on sale in March 2014 with prices starting from £25,040, the new 2 Series Coupe carries on the trend set by the recent new BMW 4 Series Coupe: it’s odd numbers for the mainstream range and even numbers for their sportier derivatives. As the name suggests, though, it’s more than just a 1 Series with a new set of clothes.

Honda fires new F1 engine for first time

EVEN BEFORE the 2013 Formula 1 season has ended preparations and development are already well under way for next year, especially so because of a radical change to the rules. From 2014 all cars will be powered by small 1.6-litre turbocharged V6 engines, signalling the end of the current 2.4-litre non-turbocharged V8 engines, bringing them closer in basic layout - if not output - to normal road car engines. For Honda 2015 is a return to the sport in partnership with McLaren, and the Japanese firm's engines will power the 2015 McLaren challenger.

Can't afford a supercar? Rent one

ALONGSIDE more mainstream offerings such as Fiestas and Astras, rental company Hertz is now offering a taste of the high life across Europe by adding a selection of high performance and luxury cars to its fleet. Arguably the most eye-catching additions are the McLaren 12C and the Ferrari F12 Berlinetta, two cars costing in excess of £175,000 to purchase new and both capable of over 205mph. Other additions to the fleet include the Porsche Cayman sports coupe and the Cayenne SUV, plus luxury cars such as BMW X6 and Range Rover Sport.

One Lap of the Web: Bonneville Salt Flats, Suzuki concepts and Porsches for all

Petrolicious is hanging with Bob Sirna, Bonneville Salt Flats competitor, and his Mercedes-Benz 300SL Gullwing. Sirna has been coming to Bonneville for the last 12 years with his SL, which is probably more suited to a museum stand. Sirna likes to say, “Enjoy your toys,” but we hope he has a nice coat of Rustoleum on there.

MP makes case for double summertime

ROAD SAFETY and tourism benefits are the key issues behind a debate on the end of putting the clocks back during the winter. Sir Greg Knight, MP for East Yorkshire, criticised the "flawed ritual of plunging the UK into darkness by mid-afternoon" and suggested a debate was required on making better use of daylight. The Tory said any examination should look at the benefits which would see the clocks run two hours ahead of Greenwich Mean Time during the summer.

First customer UK Tesla Model S EV will be delivered March 2014

First customer UK Tesla Model S (pictured) will be delivered in March 2014 The Tesla Model EV may have been astonishing buyers and car journalists alike in the US for some time – and even Europe is starting to get the first taste of the Model S – but the UK and its RHD needs are lagging a bit behind. But last night there was good new for UK Tesla buyers as Elon Musk announced the first Model S to be delivered in the UK will be in March 2014. Musk also said the first owner was ‘high profile’, but declined to elaborate.

Hyundai releases second-generation Genesis renders

Hyundai's second-generation Genesis has been previewed in new renders ahead of its full reveal in Korea later this year. The Genesis, which will hit the carmaker's stand at the North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) in January, is the first model developed with Hyundai's new ‘Fluidic Sculpture 2.0' design language. It features several cues seen on the HCD-14 Genesis concept, unveiled at this year's NAIAS, such as the sharp shoulder line and the single-frame hexagonal grille design. In fact, it's nearly unchanged from the beltline up. At the rear, the sweeping roofline flows to a short trunk lid while the rear lamps wrap around from the tailgate into the rear-quarter panels.

Enjoy this forgotten toy car TV show from the 1980s

We'd remembered being fans of a car-centered TV show in the late 1980s or early '90s. We'd watched every live-action episode for at least a couple of years. We'd clearly remember begging our mom for one of the toy cars featured on the show.

New Mercedes CLA helps Daimler to 16% profit jump

The new Mercedes CLA (pictured) help Mercedes to a 16% profit jump. There’s an argument that the move in to more compact car sales by premium car makers will see their turnover rise and their profits fall as more compact cars tend to work on smaller margins than high-end luxury cars. But Mercedes has defied that logic by posting a 16 per cent increase in profits for the third quarter of 2013, boosted by sales of the new compact coupé – the Mercedes CLA.

2014 Hyundai Genesis first glimpse

Here are the first official shots of the next Hyundai Genesis, a long, cool drink of water that will chart the course for many larger Hyundai sedans to come. “We want more premium luxury,” said Moon Sik Kwon, president of Hyundai R&D. “Genesis will lead the way.” Details are not officially released yet, so, even though we just drove the thing all over Hyundai's Nam Yang proving ground here in Korea and have a definite opinion about it, we can't tell you whether or not it was a well-composed, powerfully quick, huge step up and over the first Genesis sedan.

BMW M235i official photos leak

BMW M235i official photos leak The new BMW 2-Series has been leaking like a sieve this week, and we’ve already seen photos of the new BMW M235i from a dealer presentation. Now, ahead of an official reveal tomorrow, and ahead of a public debut at the Detroit Auto Show in January 2014, we get a leak of a set of official photos of the M235i. The M235i will be the range-topping BMW 2-Series at launch and, as you can see in the photos, gets some M goodness with bigger air intakes and alloys.

Car production hits million mark

A MILLION CARS have been produced so far this year in the UK, helped by a highly successful month in September. But manufacturing of commercial vehicles (CV) slumped more than 27%. A total of 140,888 cars were built in the UK in September 2013 - 9.9% more than in September last year, the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) said.

Latest cars crash tested by Euro NCAP

CRASH TEST results have been announced by the European vehicle safety body Euro NCAP, after testing of the latest new cars to reach the market. Amongst the vehicles tested were the Mercedes-Benz CLA, the Jeep Cherokee, the Peugeot 2008 and the Suzuki SX4. Despite varying on cost and size, all four of the vehicles tested scored the maximum five star overall rating.

Porsche 918 Spyder spotted in south LA

The Porsche 918 Spyder is nearing its customer delivery date, which means we're seeing more and more of them on public roads. Observant reader Michael Fuschi spotted an example of the new car heading south from Los Angeles. If you're wondering about the yellow car that the photos are being taken from, it's a Lamborghini Gallardo.

Meet the new BMW 2-series

Thanks to some leaky websites, we can bring you the all-new BMW 2-series Coupe a little earlier than we expected. The new car will be shown first at the Detroit auto show in January and will arrive in U.S. dealerships next spring as the 228i and M235i.

Relatives of older drivers urged to help them ‘hang up their keys’

OLDER DRIVERS whose driving style may have changed or are less able behind the wheel should be aided by relatives in deciding when to hang up their keys, according to an industry expert. Professor Andrew Parks, a chief scientist at the Transport Research Laboratory, warns in a new video interview that older drivers can be very defensive about their driving standards and react badly to any criticism of it. "I know this from my own experience, as I was recently on a car journey driven by my father, the first for 10 years,” he explaned.

BMW Individual debuts 760Li Sterling

If you want a BMW 760Li that's even more luxurious than the already luxurious stock 760Li, and don't want to take it to an armorer or coachbuilder who will stretch the rear doors and add a limousine partition to the inside, BMW Individual has something a little more low key on the menu. BMW Individual is a customization division without the company, one that lets customers tailor their cars further by specifying unique materials for the interior, as well as create unique paint colors. The customization process doesn't stop there, as beyond the special trim selections offered by BMW Individual for each particular model, customers can go to BMW Individual Manufaktur, a division of BMW Individual, for even more personalized modifications to their cars.

A-Roads ‘greatest risk to drivers’

THE MOST DANGEROUS roads in the UK are A-roads, which are seven times more dangerous than motorways according to new research by the Road Safety Foundation. While 99% of motorways are rated in the "'low risk" category, 97% of single carriageway A-roads are not. The overall risk of death and serious injury on motorways and A-roads is lowest in the West Midlands and highest in the East Midlands, the poll revealed.