Spi Bar End Mirror Sc-12060 on 2040-parts.com

Aston Martin, AMG ink technical partnership deal

It's hard to remember that the VH-platform Aston Martins were pretty mind-bending when they came out. Since the sports-luxury marque was cut loose from Ford's stewardship six years ago, the British manufacturer has seemed a bit adrift, largely playing with variations on a theme, save for the rather radical One-77. It is, of course, a very pretty theme, but the basic design language begun with the DB9 is now a decade old.

Bentley Branches Out Into Home Furnishings

NOT content with wheeling out an ever improving line of super-luxury cars, Crewe-based Bentley has chosen to add luxury furniture to its sales catalogue. Designed to furnish luxury homes, company bosses are keen to stress that the collections combine Bentley’s inherent qualities of craftsmanship, heritage and tradition, exclusivity and style, with the exacting design of a leading European furniture maker. Buyers of the furniture can expect the same attention to detail and exacting high standards as those with the means to purchase one of Bentley’s cars.

Electric Ford Focus starts European production

The Electric Ford Focus (pictured) is now being built in Europe The electric Ford Focus is already in production, and on sale, in the USA, and now it’s gone in to production in Germany ahead of arriving with owners in July. So far, the Focus EV hasn’t been an overwhelming success in the US, with just over 700 sold in the first five months of 2013 but, even though Ford see the EV as a niche product, they’re still hoping to make a dent in sales of the Nissan LEAF in Europe. The Focus EV comes with an electric motor producing 143bhp and powered by a bank of lithium-ion batteries.