Mercury Optimax 150 Dfi Head 858406-01 Freshwater! on 2040-parts.com

Show Review: Salon Privé 2011

Salon Privé is billed as Britain's most elite car show and, with its lashings of pink champagne, lobster barbecue and attendees who look to have taken a wrong turn from the UK scripted-reality show, Made in Chelsea, it's certainly the glitziest. This year Salon Privé moved from its traditional home of The Hurlingham Club, just a (precious) stone's throw from the real-life set of the aforementioned show, to the grounds of Syon House in outer West London. Home to the Duke of Northumberland, Syon House's Italian Renaissance architecture and lush grounds provide a fitting background for such an event although those familiar with the locales of Villa d'Este on the shores of Lake Como, the Goodwood Festival of Speed in the heart of Lord March's idyllic West Sussex estate or the dramatic Californian coastline of Pebble Beach may be disappointed.

New SEAT Leon goes in to production

The new SEAT Leon (2013) – revealed at the Paris Motor Show – has started production in Spain ahead of first deliveries in March 2013. SEAT has invested heavily in the Martorell plant in recent years – a shining light of success in a sea of Spanish manufacturing despair – with a £650 million investment in new facilities and R&D making Martorell a modern and efficient facility for the new Leon as well as the Ibiza, Altea and Exeo (and the Audi Q3). Not only has the investment in Martorell secured the jobs of 1600 Spanish workers (and four times as many in the supply chain), it promise more jobs too if the Leon turns out to be as appealing as it looks.

Porsche Cayman Black Edition revealed

Porsche has revealed its latest limited-run sports car: the Cayman S Black Edition. Created as a send-off for the current Cayman lineup, which is set to be replaced within the next 12 months, the coupe is planned to go on sale in July with a more powerful engine, a larger wheel-and-tire package and greater standard-equipment levels than those of the existing Cayman S. Taking a page from Henry Ford, the Cayman S Black Edition is available in any color you like--as long as it's black Inside, the Porsche gets black trims, black sport seats, a sport steering wheel, darkened instrument graphics, stainless-steel scuff plates with “Black Edition” inscriptions and a commemorative badge identifying it as one of a limited build of 500 units.