New - Timken Set 423 Milemate Set on 2040-parts.com

BMW makes 1,000 workers permanent

AROUND 1,000 agency workers at car giant BMW are to be made permanent employees, guaranteeing job security for years. The change, being made in two phases, was warmly welcomed by the Unite union, describing it as a great Christmas present. The announcement covers workers across a number of BMW sites including the Mini plant in Oxford, pressings plant in Swindon and Hams Hall engine site near Birmingham.

Hagerty predicts future classics

Classic-car insurer Hagerty released its latest Hagerty Hot List last week, highlighting today's cars that are expected to be future classics. This comes on the heels of Arizona auction week, where record-breaking sales take place yearly. “After more than 20 years of witnessing car-collecting trends, we have the unique ability to look at new cars through the eyes of a collector,” said McKeel Hagerty, CEO of Hagerty Insurance.

Alfa Brera & Alfa Spider get new engines and Italia Independent trim

The Alfa Brera & Alfa Spider get new engines and a new trim option Alfa Romeo introduced new engine options last year on the Alfa 159 – the 1750iTBi Petrol engine and the 2.0 litre JTDm diesel – which are now about to find their way in to the Alfa Brera and Alfa Spider. Which is a far from bad move. The 1750i Turbo manages to deliver 200bhp and a decent amount of torque – 236lb/ft from only 1400rpm – which makes it distinctly brisk – 7.7 & 7.8 seconds respectively to 62 mph for the Brera and Spider.