Buyers Products 1903085, 4" X 30' Strap W/flat Hook on 2040-parts.com

The Mini is 50 years old today

  Today - 08/05/2009 - is the 50th anniversary of the first Mini rolling off the production line. To celebrate, and for a bit of free publicity (see, we’re playing the game) BMW has shipped the first Mini to roll of the production line back to Cowley to celebrate (picture at the bottom). 621 AOK, a Mini Minor, in Old English White, looks as fresh as the day it rolled off the production line half a century ago (although I wouldn’t mind betting it doesn’t have it’s original sills – they always rusted through – or copes with its original distributor and leads – one splash of rain and the car ground to a halt!).

Luxury car price crash in China

Mercedes in China offering 25 per cent discounts on S Class Mercedes, BMW and Audi are having to offer discounts of up to 25 per cent on luxury cars in China to shift stock. The huge Chinese car market has been seen as a sales salvation for Western car makers; the automotive equivalent of shooting fish in a barrel. But it looks like that’s all changing, particularly at the luxury end of the market.

Honda S660 Concept revealed – the Honda Beat returns

The Honda S660 Concept (pictured) will debut at the 2013 Tokyo Motor Show It looks like Honda is making a return to the Kei car with the arrival of the Honda S660 Concept ahead of the Tokyo Motor Show next month. The Kei class of car in Japan is small (less than 3.4 metres long) and comes with a raft of tax breaks for buyers, but despite it being designed just for Japan it’s gained a cult following round the world, and now the Honda Beat for the 21st century has arrived in the form of the S660 concept. The S660 Concept – it gets the required maximum 660cc Kei engine limit – is a mid-engined open top roadster that manages to deliver 64bhp from its 3-cylinder engine which, with a weight under 900kg, should be reasonably lively.