Piper Aircraft Control Wheel Bushing #68273-02 on 2040-parts.com

Goodwood names the date for its 2014 events

ON your marks, get set, open your wallets – the dates for Goodwood’s 2014 headline motorsport meetings have been announced. The immensely popular Festival of Speed is scheduled to take place from Thursday 26 June to Sunday 29 June. With action focused on the famous hill and in the grounds of Lord March’s estate, this increasingly family-focused event promises more of what’s made it so popular: iconic historic cars, an action-packed rally stage and plenty of manufacturer supported displays.

Aston Martin V12 Vantage roadster to start at $233,340

Aston Martin dropped the details of its UK-onlyV12 Vantage roadster on Tuesday, and the news is good. The new convertible will boast 509 hp and 420 lb-ft of torque from Aston's signature 6.0-liter engine. The roadster shares many of the technical features and specifications from the hardtop version, though some elements had to be changed to accommodate the folding soft top.

BMW Concept5 X5 eDrive revealed. It’s a plug-in Hybrid X5

The BMW Concept5 X5 eDrive (pictured) will debut at Frankfurt The arrival of the BMW Concept X5 eDrive ahead of its debut at Frankfurt next month doesn’t preview and immediate addition to the X5 range of a plug-in hybrid, but it does show what will be on offer in a year or two. Just like yesterday’s Mercedes S500 plug-in hybrid, the X5 eDrive is another example of how car makers have developed their way round CO2 taxation levels by throwing electric motors at ICE engines to create a car that offers impressive emissions and economy on official tests. In the case of the X5 eDrive that means a four-cylinder twin power ICE engine (BMW aren’t saying, but we’re assuming its a petrol engine), a 94bhp electric motor and a lithium-ion battery under the boot all working together to produce an X5 that is capable (at least in official tests, which is all that matters) of 74.3mpg and emissions under 90g/km.