Budd Olsen Speed Supplies 4" X 10" Decal on 2040-parts.com

One Lap of the Web: Miniature mania, police-trimmed BMW Isetta and tweeting at automakers

-- Michael Paul Smith doesn't have a fancy camera. What he does have is a fuzzy beard, a lot of time on his hands, and the ability to create amazingly realistic scenes using scale-model cars and a handful of tiny model buildings. Smith's secret to bringing his nostalgic visions to life?

Toyota FT-86 Open Concept

Further images and details of Toyota's FT-86 Open concept have been revealed ahead of its unveiling at next week's Geneva motor show. The FT-86, a rear-wheel-drive sports convertible, previews a potential future development of the GT86 sports coupe. Toyota is using the concept, which measures in at 4,240mm long, 1,775mm wide, 1,270mm high sitting on a wheelbase of 2,570mm, to gauge public reaction while carrying out engineering tests on a prototype.

Mercedes-Benz hooks up with Europcar for its courtesy cars

Mercedes partner with Europcar for courtesy cars Providing courtesy cars for customers is something of a pain for car makers. Customers expect a courtesy car when they come in for repair or service or after an accident, and that’s not easy to manage. So car makers partner with car hire firms to make the whole thing work and, usually, know they can put a customer in a courtesy car whenever it’s needed.