Jr Dragster Heel Stop on 2040-parts.com

Video: CDN-GM Interactive Design Competition featured by Faces of GM

'Faces of GM', one of General Motor's social media initiatives, has released its latest video featuring our recent collaborative contest, the CDN-GM Interactive Design Competition. Starring several of the winning students as well as the prize-giving event at the Detroit auto show last month, the video features a number of judges and mentors including Mark Adams, executive director global Buick and Cadillac Design. GM and Car Design News's online contest aims to find the next generation of GM designers by presenting a challenge for students to tackle before being mentored on how to improve their designs.

Vauxhall Ampera Earth – entry-level Ampera launched

The Vauxhall Ampera Earth has been launched as an entry-level Ampera with a lower spec. Costs £34,995 before Government grant. The Vauxhall Ampera car – Vauxhall’s take on the range extender Chevy Volt – is a clever and appealing car if it wasn’t for the silly price.

MINI JCW Roadster rides the ‘Ring

MINI JCW Roadster pounding the Nurburgring Now we’ve got the MINI Coupe out in the open, with and without its swirly black and white camouflage, it must be close to MINI doing the same with the Roadster. Which is probably why we have spy photos of the MINI JCW Roadster pounding round the Nurburgring – last shakedowns, we assume. Because we can’t imagine MINI dragging out the reveal of the production model Roadster much past Frankfurt – if it takes that long – which will be a full two years on from when MINI first revealed the 2-seater MINI Roadster – the soft top twin of the MINI Coupe.