Doug Nash 5 Speed Main Shaft Gear 24 Tooth 23-50924 on 2040-parts.com

Mercedes CLA Shooting Brake on the way

Mercedes’ design boss Gordon Wagener has revealed to WhatCar that they are planning to go exactly the same route with the CLA as they did with the CLS, and create a coupe estate. The CLS Shooting Brake (pictured below) has been very well received, and with much of the world downsizing its cars a CLA Estate is a very sensible way to go, offering all the good design elements of the CLA – which already looks like a CLS on a boil wash – in a car that has more practicality. Wagener gave no idea of time scale for the CLA Shooting Brake, but with the first CLAs expected to hit customers in June it wouldn’t be a surprise to see a concept CLA Shooting Brake arrive by the time of the Frankfurt Motor Show in September before going on sale in 2014.

Renault R-Space concept car (2011) at 2011 Geneva motor show

Renault will show off a glimpse of its thinking for the Scenic segment with the new R-Space concept car at the 2011 Geneva motor show. It’s a 4.3m long show car that’s designed to inject some pizzazz where today’s Scenic prefers a more sober style. The new-fangled Renault look as pioneered by incoming design chief Laurens van den Acker is present and correct: there’s a large diamond on the nose and heaps more character than the current MPV.

Vintage motorcycles set to take over Road America

Road America will be two-wheel heaven this weekend, as the iconic circuit plays host to vintage-motorcycle racing. Put on by the American Historic Racing Motorcycle Association, the races run on Saturday and Sunday. They will feature motorcycles from the 1920s to the early 1970s, Superbikes from the 1970s and 1980s, and more-modern racers from the Sound of Singles, Battle of Twins and Sound of Thunder classes AHRMA is an enthusiast group that preserves the heritage of racing motorcycles through events at race circuits.