Gates Drive Belt Idler Pulley 36317 on 2040-parts.com

Bloodhound 1000mph World Speed Record attempt goes carbon neutral. Piffle.

Richard Noble’s Bloodhound Land Speed Record attempt will now be carbon neutral thanks to sponsorship by Carbon Neutral Investments (CNI). People like Richard Noble – leader of the Bloodhound Project aiming to break the 1000mph land speed record – are made of the same stuff as Spitfire pilots and Biggles, with a gung-ho approach to the inherent dangers and an inability to contemplate failure; British Bulldog Spirit at its best. So it seems almost sad that a proper Boy’s Own adventure like the Bloodhound SSC – a 133,000bhp rocket and jet powered racing car – should bow to trendy PC sensibilities by announcing it’s a ‘Carbon Neutral’ project.

Nearly a half of male drivers admit to sleeping at the wheel

Nearly half of male drivers admit to having fallen asleep at the wheel, a survey has found. Road safety charity Brake and insurance company Direct Line found that 31% of all drivers admit to ‘head-nodding’ at the wheel – meaning they’ve fallen asleep while driving a car for between two and 30 seconds. The best cars you can sleep in On Bing: see pictures of tired drivers 45% of male drivers admit to head-nodding, compared to 22% of female drivers.

Lexus LF-CC

Lexus is set to debut the LF-CC mid-size coupe concept at next week's Paris motor show that will give us a glimpse of the design and technology ideas that will influence the brand's future models. The LF-CC shares a lot of the same design cues featured on the LF-LC 2+2 sports coupe concept seen in Detroit in January, not least the new spindle-shaped grille that are found on all new Lexus models. It is set in a deep, metal-finish surround and is framed by the hood lip, deep lower spoiler and the projecting front wing tips – this is designed to give it a 3D look.