New Four Seasons Water Outlet, 85580 on 2040-parts.com

BMW Alpina D3 BiTurbo – a great diesel

The BMW Alpina D3 BiTurbo - a brilliant, quick and economical everyday drive Alpina has turned out some stunning versions of the BMW range over the years (and some not so stunning – their 8 Series springs to mind) and they fill a gap that is either not profitable in small volume for BMW or, in some cases, a hole that BMW hasn’t plugged. And this one is a good hole to fill with the BMW Alpina D3 Bi-Turbo, a 3 Series diesel with the heart of a hot hatch. Alpina has taken the engine out of the 1 Series 123d and given it a boost to 240bhp, in the process dropping the 0-60 time to a very creditable 6.9 seconds But it’s not the sprint that count,  but the way this peppy diesel unit delivers it.

The Bentley Art Project

Designers at Bentley have collaborated to create one-off works of art to benefit the Christie, a specialist cancer center in Manchester, UK. The collection, which features a vast array of sculptures, paintings, digital art and photography created in many different media, will be auctioned off at an exclusive event at Bonhams in London on December 1. The unique pieces, created by created by Bentley's head of design, Dirk van Braeckel; head of interior design Robin Page; chief designer Raul Pires and 20 other designers, digital designers and clay modelers, draw on the skills and techniques utilized in their roles and their enthusiasm for art.

At GM, the tail fin is back--but now it's a blade

Tail fins are making a comeback at General Motors Co., although they are a far cry from the saillike appendages of the 1950s. And this time the company is calling them blades. The look, pioneered on the Chevrolet Volt to improve aerodynamics, will appear on other models to boost fuel economy, said Ed Welburn, GM's global design chief.