Harken2646 Carbo 40mm Airblock W/cam & Becket on 2040-parts.com

Hennessey Venom GT hits new, unofficial, speed record (video)

The Hennessey Venom GT (pictured) hist 270.49mph on a NASA runway Top speed records for production cars is starting to seem pretty irrelevant as there’s almost nowhere an owner can ever hope to hit those record speeds. And the performance of cars like the new McLaren P1 – where  performance and handling are much more the focus than outright top speed – has added the the irrelevance. But that doesn’t stop some car makers aiming for the bragging rights of the world’s fastest production car, and John Hennessey and his Hennessey Venom GT are back with another claim on the title.

2012 BMW 1-series gets light freshening

BMW is lightly updating the 1-series coupe and convertible for 2012 with several sporty modifications. The 128i and the 135i get air curtains for the front fascia to counter aerodynamic drag. Other refinements include accents for the headlights and taillights and light finishings for the interior.

Audi dealers ‘told lies’ about safety ratings

Audi A BBC investigation has found that Audi dealers lied about the safety ratings of some of the German brand’s models. The Watchdog programme sent undercover researchers into a number of dealers to ask about EuroNCAP ratings. 90% of staff lied about the Audi A5’s crash rating They found that nine out of 10 said that the Audi A5 had been rated by NCAP, with six out of 10 saying it had been awarded a maximum five stars in the crash tests.