Standard Motor Products Us124lb Ignition Lock Cylinder on 2040-parts.com

Italian firm buys stake in Aston Martin

The former owner of Italian motorcycle maker Ducati has bought a 37.5-percent stake in financially strapped British car maker Aston Martin. The move means future Astons could use modern drivelines and electric architectures from Mercedes-Benz's AMG division, insiders with knowledge of the deal suggest. Private equity fund Investindustrial has signed a memorandum of understanding with current Aston Martin owner Investment Dar of Kuwait that will see it pay $240 million (150 million pounds) for the ownership stake.

£50,000 crystal-studded tin marks T-Cut milestone

AS TINS of polish go, this one is rather special. This is T-Cut’s 60th birthday present to itself and comes encrusted with tens of thousands of pounds worth of Swarovski crystals. T-Cut says 26,000 individual jewels make up the design, which took 75 hours of work for Shirley Sinclair of specialist designer Crystallized by Request to complete.

Toyota Fun-Vii concept

Billed as the automotive equivalent of the smartphone, the Toyota Fun-Vii concept is part of the ‘Fun to Drive, Again' section of Toyota's concept car onslaught at the 2011 Tokyo motor show. The Fun-Vii is a socially-integrated vehicle that can change its appearance as quickly as the owner can download an app. The surfacing of the concept can be used as a display surface for business, with the body color and display content changeable at will.