Carroll Shelby 1923-2012 Motor Trend Collectors Edition Magazine Ford Gt Cobra on 2040-parts.com

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.

Mercedes F125 concept (2011) at Frankfurt motor show

Mercedes today unveiled the F125 concept car - a car bearing the three-pointed star's F name to demark it as a tech testbed, and the 125 to mark Merc's 125th anniversary in this four-wheeled business. It's a hydrogen fuel-cell vehicle, and Merc claims a punchy 1000km (620-mile) range. But the scientists here are proud of the cutting edge lithium sulphur batteries, used to store energy created by the fuel-cell.

2011 VW Phaeton: Prices announced

The 2011 VW Phaeton starts at £46k We did wonder whether it was actually worth running the news that the 2011 VW Phaeton will cost from £46,195, as it’s probably only a relevant story for about three people a year in the UK. Which might be an exaggeration. But only just.