Mazda 3 Emblem Bby451730 on 2040-parts.com

Aston Martin V12 Vantage Roadster & new Vanquish hit the Nurburgring (video)

Aston Martin may have already revealed the new Vanquish and the V12 Vanquish Roadster, but they’re still playing at the Nurburgring. For a small company with limited resources, Aston Martin is doing very well on the new model front. First we had the launch of a new car with an old name – the new Aston Martin Vanquish – followed earlier this month by the official reveal of the soft-top V12 Vantage – the Aston Martin V12 Vantage Roadster.

AutoWeek office swag: Mazda rotary-engine keychain with realistic motion

When I got the keys to our long-term 2011 Mazda 5 last week, they came with a surprise--this aluminum-and-brass keychain in the shape of a rotary-engine housing, complete with moving rotor. The rotor doesn't just rattle around or spin in a circle. Thanks to a thumbwheel on the back of the housing, coupled with a timing gear and offset crank journal, the thing actually moves in an approximation of epitrochoidal motion just like a real Wankel.

Audi Q7 gets a facelift

But it’s been three years since we were first introduced to the Q7 (at the Los Angeles Motor Show in 2006) so Audi has decided the Q7 needed a little facelift. There have been a few spy shots around recently showing a slightly changed Q7, so we knew it was coming. But, like all the best facelifts, it’s barely perceptible.