Mazda Rx8 13b Eccentric Crank Shaft on 2040-parts.com

McLaren P1 back at the Nurburgring in attack mode

The McLaren P1 is back at the Nurburgring looking to set a new record It was brave of Ron Dennis to declare – before the McLaren P1 was anywhere close to finished – that the it would be able to lap the Nurburgring in under 7 minutes. He was obviously very confident his new baby was up to the task but, just like McLaren’s current Formula One car, the P1 seems to be just a bit off the pace. Last month we reported that it seemed the best the McLaren P1 could do at the Nurburgring was a 7:04s – a time McLaren didn’t make official – so we knew McLaren would be back with their laptops and engineers as soon as they’d figured a way to trim those last few seconds.

De Tomaso SLC: De Tomaso back with SUV Concept

De Tomaso SLC SUV Concept We’ve covered some of the trials and tribulations of De Tomaso in the last couple of years, with the assets of the once-successful maker of Italian-style cars with a New World heart languished rusting and unwanted in Italy. But there were no takers; no one willing to breath life back in to a once successful marque. But finally – in November 2009 – a white knight in the form of octegenarian and former Fiat Exec Gian Mario Rossignolo rode in to the fray, and plucked De Tomaso from the oblivion of the history books.

Audi plans expansion of hybrids, electrics

Audi plans a rapid expansion of plug-in hybrid and electric vehicles over the next few years as a key component in Volkswagen Group's strategy to dominate the alternative-powertrain market by decade's end. Michael Dick, Audi's board member for technical development, told Automotive News that the next-generation A6 sedan will have the potential to be a full hybrid by the end of 2012. The A6 would join the recently introduced hybrid A8 sedan at the Geneva auto show and the soon-to-be-launched Q5 hybrid crossover.