General Motors Calais/grand Am/skylark/somerset 1985-92 Repair Manual on 2040-parts.com

Bertone to celebrate 100th anniversary with Nuccio concept

Bertone will introduce its new Nuccio concept car at the Geneva Motor Show as it celebrates its 100th anniversary. The concept – named after the son of the company's founder Nuccio Bertone, who died in 1997 – appears to take inspiration from the 1970 Lancia Stratos HF Zero, one of Bertone's most famous designs, created by Marcello Gandini. The similarities in these teaser sketches include the extreme wedge profile and hood/windscreen surface, highlighted in orange.

MINI compares Classic Mini to Porsche 911

The Classic Mini & Classic Porsche 911 A comparison between the classic Mini and the Porsche 911 may not be the most obvious, but that hasn’t stopped MINI jumping on the 911′s 50th anniversary year with a comparison between the two iconic cars. MINI assert that the similarities between the classic Mini and the 911 are based on their ‘Forever Young’ ethos (which is, in no small part, down to the fact both are still clearly similar to the original design)  and their performance. The Mini arrived before the 911 – Mini in 1959, 911 in 1963 – but both turned the car world on its head with a delightful turn of design, speed and appeal, with the original Mini ending up selling 5.3 million and the, still continuing, 911 starting to close in on a million sales.

Porsche announces new Weissach design center and wind tunnel

Porsche is to invest around €150m into its Weissach development facility, including a new design center. The plans also include an electronics integration department and a state-of-the art, on-site wind tunnel, which is hoped will allow the company to realize an holistic approach to efficient design, with a strong focus on aerodynamics. When we spoke with head of Porsche design, Michael Mauer, at this year's Paris motor show, he also alluded to the fact that the Volkswagen Group's – and, more specifically, Walter de'Silva's – recent influence on the German manufacturer was shifting its attitudes: "The Volkswagen Group has a very good understanding of how much freedom a brand needs to keep its characteristics and with [Walter] as 'conductor', I feel a lot of support with design issues within the company," explained Mauer.