Mercruiser Alpha One Upper Drive Gear Ratio 1.98r Ser. A358917 on 2040-parts.com

Happy 80th Birthday, Syd Mead!

Take a poll among car designers to name their greatest influence, and one name is sure to appear at the top of the list: Syd Mead. The car designer, illustrator and futurist has inspired generations of the men and women who shape the cars we drive or admire. Syd has created the designs for the movies Blade Runner and Tron, while the illustrations published in his books such as Oblagon and Sentury (sought-after collector items today) depict the vision of a future dominated by superior technology and aesthetics.

Alpine Celebration At French Historic Endurance Event

RENAULT will be out in force at this weekend’s Le Mans Classic. The historic alternative to the highly charged modern Le Mans 24-hour endurance race has proven popular with fans, and the French car maker will be celebrating its Alpine sub-brand by running three cars. This seventh running of the classic race will see an Alpine M65, Alpine-Renault A110 and Alpine-Renault A443 take to the famous circuit.

BMW X3 reloaded

BMW has revealed the first official details of its second-generation X3 prior to its world debut at the upcoming Paris motor show. Set to go on sale in the United States in January 2011, BMW says the new X3 will be priced close to the outgoing model. The upmarket off-roader has been completely redesigned and reengineered in a move BMW hopes will see it emulate the first-generation model's success, sales of which have now topped the 600,000 mark worldwide since its introduction in 2003.