Peterbilt Ashtray Trim on 2040-parts.com

New BMW M3 and M4 engine secrets laid bare

BMW's M division has lifted the veil of secrecy on the inline six-cylinder engine bound for its upcoming M3 sedan and new-to-the-range M4 coupe and convertible, revealing a potent twin-turbocharged 3.0-liter direct injection gasoline unit that produces an official 424 hp at 7,500 rpm and what officials describe as "significantly more than 369 lb-ft" of torque. The newly developed engine, known under the internal codename S55 B30, shares its 84.0 mm bore and 89.6 mm stroke with BMW's standard turbocharged 3.0-liter in-line six-cylinder direct-injection gasoline mill, the M55 used across the German car maker's lineup, endowing the aluminum block unit with an overall swept volume of 2,979 cc. This represents a sizeable 990 cc reduction on the engine BMW's M division's new unit replaces, the S65.

Record breaking Bluebird reunited with nose

WORLD LAND SPEED RECORD holder Sir Malcolm Campbell’s Bluebird CN7 car has been reunited with its original nose. The car’s original nose was damaged and then kept in Coventry since 1960, but it has now been brought back to the car that lives at the National Motor Museum at Beaulieu, Hampshire. Damaged during a World Land Speed Record attempt on the Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah, USA, the nose of the car was sent back to Coventry for repairs and an updated design to help make the car more stable at very high speeds.

New-car smell less toxic but not safe, Ecology Center says

The Ecology Center released its fourth consumer guide to toxic chemicals last week, and the news is better. The amount of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in new cars has decreased, but we still have a ways to go. VOCs in plastics and flame retardants have been linked to a variety of acute and long-term health concerns.