David Clark on 2040-parts.com

Up in smoke: Smokey Yunick's garage burns

Legendary NASCAR mechanic Smokey Yunick closed the "Best Damn Garage In Town" long before he died in 2001. But the main concrete-block, tin-roofed building on Beach Street in Daytona Beach, Fla., remained a stop on the NASCAR history trail for visiting faithful until Monday night, when fire destroyed the building. The building housed Yunick's office and a medium-size garage and more recently served as office space for Carbon Press, the publishing company that Yunick's daughter, Trish, operates and which produces products that include Yunick's salty 1,100-page autobiography and biographies of other racing personalities.

Audi R8 GT (2010): first news of lightweight R8

Audi has shown the new R8 GT – a limited-edition model to sit atop the R8 supercar family. The GT is 100kg lighter, thanks to some body parts made from carbonfibre and its V10 engine is tuned up to Gallardo-nibbling spec. With 552bhp and 398lb ft, the R8 GT will be considerably faster than the standard R8 5.2 FSI V10.

Hyundai i30 GT with 1.6 Turbo planned?

Are Hyundai planning a hot hatch i30 GT? (5-door 2012 i30 pictured) It’s reported that Hyundai are planning a hot hatch GT version of the 3-door i30 due in 2013 with a 200bhp 1.6 litre turbo. With all the progress Hyundai has made in the last few years to become a credible threat to mainstream cars from Europe and Japan, the next step must be in the performance and luxury realm.