Lesabre 2004 Emergency Brake Parts 476445 on 2040-parts.com

CAR scoop: BMW and Toyota's joint sports car plot

BMW is buddying up with Toyota on an all-new sports car platform, set to underpin the replacements for the Z4, 6-series and GT86. The unlikely collaboration stems from an alliance that began in 2011, where BMW and Toyota agreed to co-develop next-generation lithium ion batteries, and for Toyota to use BMW’s fourpot diesels in its European cars. An engineering team is beavering away on the project, with the clock ticking: the suits want to outline the car’s specification before the end of 2013. What does BMW get out of the bargain?

MINI Cooper S Diesel coming?

What appears to be a MINI Cooper S Diesel out testing The photo at the top appears to be a MINI Cooper S diesel. Which is not a car we had on our radar, but with MINI any sub niche of a sub niche is fair game, so it seems highly likely that a beefed up S version of the diesel MINI Cooper is in the offing. As we reported just the other day, we’ve already had at least a dozen new MINIs launched or revealed in 2009 alone.

Caterham details new Seven 160 and 165

The Caterham Seven 160 and 165 are the next track weapons to come from Caterham Cars. And even though they won’t come to the United States, we figured you’d like to know about what we’re missing out on. Hey, you may travel to England one day and need a rental car, and not be able to find one, so you might pick up a cheapish new car to tour the countryside, leaving it behind when you come home.