Ford C4 Racing Transmission Pro Trans Brake on 2040-parts.com

Lexus sales rising strongly in Europe – up 33 per cent in Western Europe

The new Lexus IS (pictured) is leading Lexus’s sales growth in europe There’s lots to like about the Lexus range (even if we would like to see proper gearboxes proliferate), and it seems buyers across Europe are getting more and more enamoured of Toyota’s luxury brand. Lexus are reporting soaring sales in Europe so far in 2014, with sales up by 25.4 per cent over the same period in 2013 (and by 33 per cent in Western Europe) and the Lexus IS leading the way. Lexus IS sales were up to 6,923, followed by the Lexus RX SUV and the compact Lexus CT, with even the massively expensive Lexus LS chipping in 265 sales in the first six months of the year.

Renault Megane gets a bit of a facelift for 2014

The Renault Megane range (pictured) gets a bit of a facelift for 2014 The Renault Megane has been given a facelift for 2014, but it’s not exactly a major overhaul. All the Megane models – Hatchback, Coupe and Sports Tourer – now gets the new family front bumper with its extended air vent, much like the bumper on the new Renault Clio. The bonnet also gets a tweak with a new Renault badge, there’s a new set of elliptical headlights and some new daytime running lights. There are specific changes for the GT and RS models too, with ‘GT’ or ‘RS’ added to the new Renault logo on the bonnet.

John Fitch's Phoenix up for auction

John Cooper Fitch -- World War II hero, racer par excellence, safety pioneer, and all-around nice guy -- used to show off his Phoenix at the annual Greenwich Concours d'Elegance in southwestern Connecticut, not terribly far from his 1700s estate in his beloved Lime Rock. The Phoenix was his vision of an American Porsche, a strange mashup of a De Tomaso Pantera with Corvette Stingray. Twin humps on the fenders hid dual spare tires, different sizes for the front and rear.