Mr. Gasket 7177mrg Exhaust Collector Gasket on 2040-parts.com

50 Years of the BMW 'Neue Klasse'

In a year that sees the celebration of the ever-seductive Jaguar E-Type and the characterful Renault 4, it would be easy to overlook other cars also reaching their half-century, especially a mundane three-box saloon. However, the BMW 1500 isn't any less significant. When launched at the 1961 Frankfurt International Motor Show, intrigued and inquisitive visitors were forced to wait 30 minutes just to catch a glimpse of the car.

Unique book captures iconic motor racing colours

A BEAUTIFUL new book has been released that documents 77 different liveries from famous racing cars throughout the decades. Among the famous and celebrated paint schemes set out in Racing Colours are Gulf, Martini and British Racing Green classics from the racetrack and even from cinema, like that of the Porsche 917K driven by Steve McQueen’s Michael Delaney in the 1970 film Le Mans. A racing car’s livery is a key component in the enjoyment of motorsport through creating attractive car designs.

40 Years of Mmmm

In 1972, the Dow Jones closed above 1,000 for the first time, the Olympic Games in Munich were marred by the killings of 11 Israeli athletes, gasoline averaged 55 cents a gallon, Bobby Fischer became the world chess champion and the last U.S. troops withdrew from Vietnam. It was also a notable year for German automaker BMW, as that year saw the birth of its famed M division.