Parts Master 85138 Thermostat Housing on 2040-parts.com

Volvo V40 (2012) first official pictures

This is the all-new Volvo V40, the Swedish car company’s latest rival to the Ford Focus, VW Golf et al. It will be officially unveiled at the 2012 Geneva motor show next month. Volvo is being particularly bullish about the prospects of its new V40, with Volvo president and CEO Stefan Jacoby claiming the new model ‘will give our toughest competitors a headache’.

Audi R8 GT Spyder (2011) sketches

This is the car to render the Lamborghini Gallardo Performante pointless – it’s the Audi R8 GT Spyder, a drop-top version of the lighter, faster R8 GT coupe. Previewed in these design sketches from Audi, the R8 GT Spyder is expected to be revealed in full at the 2011 Frankfurt motor show in September. So this Audi R8 GT Spyder is a R8 GT without a roof? Essentially, yes.

Porsche 918 Spyder gets its own website

The Porsche 918 Spyder (pictured) now has its very own website It’s more than two years since the Porsche 918 Spider went on sale, but it’s now getting close to arriving in Porsche showrooms so Porsche has created a new microsite dedicated to all things 918. Since it went on sale, the 918 Spyder has been developed further and the production 918 will come with 4WD courtesy of its electric motors – one delivering 154hp (rear) and the other 127hp (front) – which, combined with 608hp from its 4.6 litre V8, promises 0-62mph in 2.8 seconds (and 7 seconds on just the electric motors) and on to 211mph. The new 91 microsite reveals Porsche’s self-imposed challenge was to beat the Carrera GT by at least 10 seconds on the Nurburgring, and there’s video of the 918 out playing at the Nurburgring, as well as plenty of photos and detail on exactly what the 918 offers.