Ford Flathead V8 Weld In Motor Mount Brackets (4) Rat Rod Vintage on 2040-parts.com

Aston Martin make Nissan’s Andy Palmer their new CEO

Andy Palmer (pictured) is taking the reins at Aston Martin Lagonda Aston Martin has effectively been without a boss since Ulrich Bez stepped down from the role last year, but that changes with the announcement that Andrew Palmer – until now, Chief Planning Officer of Nissan – is to step in to the role. There’s no specific start date for Andy Palmer at Aston, but Nissan has announced that Philippe Klein will take up Palmer’s role at Nissan on 15 September, so it shouldn’t be long before Palmer holds the reins at Aston Martin. But what exactly has persuaded Andy Palmer to jump from a big corporate behemoth like Nissan to a struggling luxury car maker with owners who either want to tug the operating strings (the Kuwaitis) or are looking for a quick return (Investindustrial)?

Toyota C-HR concept

Add the Toyota C-HR crossover concept to your list of new cars to see at the Paris motor show next week. When Toyota launched the original RAV4 in 1994, it also introduced a new market segment: the crossover. Over the past 20 years, rather like the crossover segment, the RAV4 has grown much larger in size while morphing into a more traditional small SUV.

SRT Viper GTS-R takes to the track

The boys from SRT put a few hot laps on its 2013 Viper GTS-R on Friday in preparation for running with the American Le Mans Series. Team wheelman Marc Goossens was behind the wheel at the 2.279-mile, 14-turn Carolina Motorsports Park in Kershaw, S.C. Check out the one-minute video above and the comments below from SRT director of marketing and operations Beth Paretta, driver Marc Goossens and road racing manager of SRT Motorsports Gary Johnson.