Osc 3265 Condenser on 2040-parts.com

Winter checks boost Seat owners' festive cheer

SEAT DRIVERS can rest assured their cars are ready for winter this year with a cool deal that’s just been announced. Owners can take advantage of a 28-point Winter Safety Check heck at their local Seat dealer, with technicians checking tyres, brakes, all fluid levels and more, with top-ups if needed. The fixed-price £29 offer includes inspections of the cooling system, handbrake linkages, steering and electrics.

Mercedes B55 (2011) - a ballistic V8 B-class

Mercedes' tuning arm AMG has not yet ventured into sensible B-class territory, but a bunch of Merc trainees in Germany has come up with this: the B55. It's a V8-powered B-class, complete with AMG-spec 383bhp 5.5-litre V8 mounted up front and driving an old W210 E-class rear axle. Sounds like a promising skunkworks special, derived from an old B200 CDI hack that was kicking about the training centre.

New 2102 Aston Martin V8 Vantage on video

2102 Aston Martin V8 Vantage on video in Paris Having debuted the 2012 Aston Martin V8 Vantage changes for 2012 in February, Aston Martin has now captured the new V8 Vantage on video in Paris. The Aston Martin V8 Vantage promised so much when it first arrived that we couldn’t help being just a little bit disappointed in the new, smaller Aston designed to beat the 911 at its own game. It looked glorious – a given with any Aston Martin – and it sounded wonderful, especially when you gave it its head, but it just didn’t go as well as expected.