Simpson Standard 6 Single-layer Driving Jacket 0304512 on 2040-parts.com

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.

Maserati Kubang SUV hits the road in new video

Maserati Kubang SUV Video There was a time when we expected everyone from Ferrari to Lamborghini and Bentley to Rolls Royce to cobble together a luxury SUV to tempt buyers. That fad went away for a while, but now its back and we have the first SUV in a generation from a maker of Italian exotica – the Maserati Kubang SUV – and this video of the Kubang on the road. Interestingly, although the Kubang is supposedly the start of this video, it only turns up in the final third, with the first two thirds dedicated to showcasing Maserati’s performance pedigree – past and present.

2015 Land Rover Defender delayed – creating the absolute dog’s danglers will take longer

Recently, we reported  Land Rover’s design director Gerry McGovern saying of the 2015 Land Rover Defender  “This car will be the bollocks, I assure you. The absolute dog’s bollocks.” But it seems that creating the absolute dog’s danglers is going to take a bit longer than planned. Autocar are reporting that John Edwards – Land Rover’s Global Brand Director – has said the new Defender will not be going in to production in 2015 as planned, although Land Rover are planning to scrap the current Defender then as it will no longer meet emissions regulations.