Mercedes W140 Drive Shaft Support on 2040-parts.com

Car Designers Blackmailed

A London court has found former design student Guy Lloyd-Parker guilty of blackmailing US car designers. The London College of Fashion graduate had claimed that 95 car design sketches were stolen from him by two college lecturers in 1994, eventually resurfacing as final designs in the form of the Audi TT, BMW Z3, Mazda RX-8 and the Volvo XC90. Lloyd-Parker, having failed to successfully sue the college, began sending menacing letters to California-based Volvo Design Director Geza Loczi, former BMW and Aston Martin designer Henrik Fisker, and ex-Mazda designer Tsutomu Matano demanding £90,000.

Call over winter transport issues

MORE MUST BE DONE to enable transport systems to cope with bad winter weather, a report by MPs said today. Recent floods and gales showed that disruption was not just caused by snow, the report by the House of Commons Transport Committee said. Transport's winter resilience had improved but there was a risk that a few years of mild winter weather "could lead to a false sense of security and reduce the sector's preparedness over the longer term", the report said.

New 2015 Volkswagen Passat detailed ahead of July reveal

The 2015 VW Passat (pictured) is lighter and more economical The eighth generation Volkswagen Passat is detailed today by VW with design sketches and the news that the all-new Passat will lose 85kg in weight and get more economical engines. Due to be revealed in the metal in July – and debuting at the Paris Motor Show in October – the new Passat will go on sale before the end of 2014 with first deliveries in early 2015. Thanks to a weight loss of upt 85kg – achieved by using high-strength, hot-formed steel and aluminium in some areas – the new Passat will offer fuel efficiency improved by up to 20 per cent and, although the exterior dimensions of the new Passat are slightly smaller than the current model, the new Passat will offer more room for passengers and luggage.