Stiegemeier Ported Eaton M112 Supercharger on 2040-parts.com

Hyundai puts Michel Nandan in charge of WRC effort

Hyundai has appointed former Peugeot WRC technical director Michel Nandan to head up their assault on WRC. As Hyundai matures in to a credible mainstream force, improving brand perception is crucial to its long-term goals and 2012 is all about improving Hyundai’s brand experience and perceptions of the brand. A part of that focus is to take Hyundai back in to WRC rallying with a much modified i20, where Hyundai are hoping for a better experience than they had when they went rallying a decade ago – which should be a given considering the big strides Hyundai has made in its cars in the last few years.

Volvo WILL build a luxury car to take on the Mercedes S-Class

Volvo WILL build a luxury car to take on the Mercedes S-Class (Concept You pictured) Volvo has done a lot right – and not much wrong – since Geely took over the reigns from Ford. With new cars like the V40, a new range of 4-cylinder engines and a new design direction – previewed by the stunning Volvo Concept Coupe – the Swedes look to be on a roll. But their strategy of pointing their cars at premium car lovers in the mainstream segment seemed to have taken a left turn with a revelation by Geely and Volvo Chairman, Li Shufu, who has declared Volvo are to build a luxury car to take on the might of the Mercedes S-Class, Audi A8, BMW 7-Series and Jaguar XJ.

Lamborghini 5-95 Zagato is a one-off special at Villa d’Este (video)

The Lamborghini 5-95 Zagato (pictured) meets the crowds at Villa d’Este Zagato creations of Lamborghini cars are nothing new and have been around as long as Lamborghini has – fifty years or so – so the Lamborghini 5-95 Zagato isn’t a ground-breaking collaboration, even if it’s an interesting creation, and it’s nice to add it to the 1965 Lamborghini 3500 GTZ and Lamborghini Zagato Raptor as Zagato takes on a Lambo. The one-off 5-95 Zagato is based on the underpinnings of the (now defunct) Lamborghini LP570-4 and commissioned by collector Albert Spiess to showcase Zagato’s ability and to celebrate the 95th anniversary of Lamborghini. Spiess already owns a number of Zagato models – including the Aston Martin V8 Zagato and Aston Martin V12 Zagato – but Zagato has gone a bit6 further with the design of the 5-95 and created a car that looks little like the LP570-4 using the principles of functionalism and rationalism, apparently.