Centric 125.39037 Front Brake Rotor/disc-high Carbon Rotor-preferred on 2040-parts.com

McLaren 12C Spider teased

McLaren has started to tease the 12C Spider – the convertible 12C – ahead of full details in the next few days. We’ve know that a convertible version of the McLaren MP4-12C – the 12C Spider – has been on the way for some time, but now it’s almost here. We thought McLaren would just come out and introduce the 12C Spider, but they can’t resist teasing, although we wonder if  McLaren might be trying to take some of the gloss off the UK debut of the Ferrari 458 Spider at Goodwood this weekend by revealing the 12C Spider before the end of the Goodwood weekend?.

European new car sales in record LOW

European new car registrations have plunged to their LOWEST level on record after slow August sales reversed an upturn in July. Registrations of 7,841,596 new cars between January-August 2013 marked a new low for the European new car market of 27 countries – so few cars have never previously been recorded since records began in 1990. 2013 UK new car sales forecast revised upwards European new car sales continue to struggle The UK new car market is the sole exception: so far this year, new car registrations have risen 10.4%, compared to the European decline of 5.2% in the same time period.

Peugeot 208 Hybrid FE (2013) at Frankfurt motor show

Here’s Peugeot’s salvo in the fight to make cars more economical: the 208 Hybrid FE. The supermini concept can achieve a claimed average of 112mpg (and a maximum of 141mpg), and emits only 49g/km of CO2. Peugeot is especially keen to point out it’s a conventionally shaped supermini with five seats, unlike VW’s own super-frugal XL1, which looks decidedly sci-fi in comparison, but has a smaller boot than a Ferrari 458… The 208 FE is 25% slipperier and 20% lighter than a regular 208, but that’s only part of the reason it allegedly achieves such eye-opening numbers at the pumps.