Infiniti I30, Q45 Chrome Wheel Rim 73640 on 2040-parts.com

VW Race Touareg 3 (2011) first pictures

You might usually associate the Volkswagen Touareg with school-run mums whose furthest foray off-road is up the kerb and onto a wet field – this is something different, this is the new VW Race Touareg 3. That there is, and it’s the Race Touareg 2 that’s taken the chequered flag at the last two Dakar rallies, becoming the first diesel-powered winner in 2009. And after 2010’s 1-2-3 finish, the VW board decided it was onto a good thing and commissioned Volkswagen Motorsport to update its Touareg racer for the January 2011 race.

Lowie Vermeersch resigns from Pininfarina

CDN has learned that Lowie Vermeersch has resigned from Pininfarina, where he was Design Director. According to our sources, the Belgian designer has left to pursue other as yet unnamed ventures in the design industry. Vermeersch has been at Pininfarina for the last 12 years, leading the design team that created the new Ferrari 458 as well as the Duettottanta and Sintesi concept cars.

David Brown Automotive promising a new luxury British sports car

David Brown Automotive promising a new luxury British sports car The name David Brown Automotive conjures up images of the man whose initials still give us the Aston Martin DB9 – former tractor builder David Brown who bought up Aston Martin in 1947 (and subsequently Lagonda and Tickford). But this David Brown Automotive is actually a new company which promises to “…refresh the classic British sports car, for the 21st Century” with a vision for a new luxury take on the classic British Sports Car. David Brown has put together a team lead by Alan Mobberley – who was  Chief Designer at Land Rover until 2005 and cropped up recently as the designer for Eterniti Motors – and has commissioned Envisage Group (the firm that bought up what was left of CPP after Vladimir Antonov’s exploits and who are building the glorious Lyonheart E-Type) to bring his dreams to life.