Kuryakyn Curved Laydown License Plate Mount W/ Frame Black Honda Vtx1300t 08-09 on 2040-parts.com

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.

Hyundai i20 facelift and Veloster Turbo at 2012 Geneva motor show

Hyundai has significant new model news and a piece of range expansion to announce at the 2012 Geneva motor show with the unveiling of a facelifted i20 supermini and a spanking fresh turbo diesel for its Veloster coupe-cum-hatchback.  One at a time now – will the Veloster line up neatly behind the i20 please. What’s happening to that then? Perhaps slightly stung by critics in some quarters dismissing the Mk1 i20 as being rather Euro-bland, the Korean’s all-new i20 is a rather pretty-looking thing. Nose-wise it has a wide-mouthed, grinning hexagonal grille and little creases filtering up from it and the headlamp cluster, which look uncannily like laughter lines.

New BMW M3 and M4 engine secrets laid bare

BMW's M division has lifted the veil of secrecy on the inline six-cylinder engine bound for its upcoming M3 sedan and new-to-the-range M4 coupe and convertible, revealing a potent twin-turbocharged 3.0-liter direct injection gasoline unit that produces an official 424 hp at 7,500 rpm and what officials describe as "significantly more than 369 lb-ft" of torque. The newly developed engine, known under the internal codename S55 B30, shares its 84.0 mm bore and 89.6 mm stroke with BMW's standard turbocharged 3.0-liter in-line six-cylinder direct-injection gasoline mill, the M55 used across the German car maker's lineup, endowing the aluminum block unit with an overall swept volume of 2,979 cc. This represents a sizeable 990 cc reduction on the engine BMW's M division's new unit replaces, the S65.