C3 Corvette Dual Exhaust System on 2040-parts.com

SEMA 2008 show report: Volkswagen Passat CC

By Ben Whitworth Motor Shows 07 November 2008 09:00 Volkswagen’s sobriety took a back seat at the SEMA show in Las Vegas this week – it pulled the covers off a pair of muscle-bound Passat CCs, a racy 295bhp Tiguan and a grunty diesel Jetta aimed at cajoling the American market into turning its back on gasoline. The unambiguously named Performance CC – designed by Volkswagen’s California-based design centre – gets a shot in the arm from a three-stage turbo boost to its 2.0-litre TSI engine. In Eco mode you get a modest 222bhp and 236 lb ft of torque, GT mode hikes those outputs to 252bhp and 268 lbs ft, while the Full Power stage unleashes 311bhp and 313 lb ft.

Ferrari 458 Speciale A (that’s ‘A’ for Aperta) revealed

The Ferrari 458 Special A – revealed ahead of its Paris debut The Ferrari 458 Speciale A (the ‘A’ stands for Aperta – Italian for open) has been revealed this afternoon – ahead of its Paris Motor Show debut next week – as the most powerful open-top Ferrari ever, promising 0-62mph in just 3.0 seconds. Just 499 will be built. And if you want to invest money in a new Ferrari, the 458 Speciale A will be a good shout; with just 499 being built (just like LaFerrari) it’s almost certain these rare 458s will appreciate in the coming years – just like the 599 Aperta has (although there were even fewer of those).

Mercedes removed Lieb over compliance issue, report says

Daimler AG dismissed Mercedes-Benz USA chief Ernst Lieb for violations of human resources and ethics policies relating to household expenses paid by the automaker, The Financial Times reported Wednesday, citing sources close to the company. Lieb was abruptly removed as head of the automaker's second-largest market on Oct. 17 after more than 30 years at Daimler.