Ford Expedition 98 99 00 01 02 Power Noheat Mirror Lh on 2040-parts.com

New Opel Monza Concept at Frankfurt 2013 signals a new big coupe from Vauxhall

The Opel Monza (1980s Monza pictured) will make a return at Frankfurt There was a time, for those not old enough to remember, when mainstream car makers produced big saloons and coupes. But no more. With very few (low-selling) exceptions, car makers like Vauxhall and Ford have given up their full-sized saloons and downsized, with SUVs of varying sizes now seen as the real future.

Ford Focus RS500 (2010) first official pictures

This is the new Ford Focus RS500, a special limited edition version of the Blue Oval’s mad Focus RS hot hatch with 15% more power. For a start there’s that extra power. Thanks to a larger air-to-air intercooler, a bigger air filter and a wider diameter exhaust downpipe (plus a new ECU to take advantage of the mechanical changes) peak power is up from 301bhp to 345lb ft at 6000rpm, while torque climbs from 325lb ft to 339lb ft. The result is a 5.6sec 0-62mph time (down three-tenths) while the top speed climbs two notches to 165mph.

Concept Car of the Week: Volkswagen Microbus (2001)

The turn of the millennium seemed to induce a feeling of nostalgia among car manufacturers and with it a plethora of heritage/retro designs, including the new Mini, new Ford Mustang and Nissan Z. Following the runaway success of its New Beetle, which probably started the trend, VW asked itself whether it could enjoy the same success with a modern interpretation of the legendary T1 Microbus. Designed at the surf-central design studio in Simi Valley, California, the Microbus Concept took ample inspiration from its distant ancestor, but was modernized in every way.