Purple Metallic Urethane Basecoat Gallon on 2040-parts.com

Friday in Le Mans: Prerace parade and car show thrills crowds

The 24 Hours of Le Mans doesn't start until Saturday at 3 p.m. French time, but as anyone here will tell you, the festivities began much earlier in the week. On Friday, I had the opportunity to visit the Driver's Parade and car show in downtown Le Mans, a five-hour festival that brings out what appeared to be half the town, plus many race enthusiasts from around the globe.

UK has 'highest car running costs'

THE UK is the most expensive country in the world for running a car, according to a new survey. Comparing the cost of fuel, insurance, road tax and MOT, on average it costs the UK motorist £3,453 a year, which is £1,000 more than in the USA and Australia, £1,825 than Japan and a full £2,000 more than in China. The survey, conducted by Webuyanycar.com, compared the cost of motoring in 21 countries on five continents, and revealed that on many fronts the UK motorist is paying more than anyone else.

New-look Interior Motives Winter 2013/14 issue out now

The winter edition of Car Design News' quarterly interior design publication, Interior Motives magazine, is out now sporting more pages and a brand-new layout designed to put the exclusive sketches, development images and high-quality photographs that accompany each story in their best possible light. As ever, the issue features in-depth design development articles on the most interesting and important concept and production vehicles launched in recent months. But the revamped magazine's larger format and more sophisticated layout explore their design with a level of detail and glamour never seen before in publishing.