Toro 54-2750 Engine To Deck Belt Covered Belt Sten#265-466 on 2040-parts.com

SEAT hints at new Nurburgring lap record

Repeated references to the Nurburgring during the press conference at the launch of the new SEAT Leon Cupra strongly suggest that the 280hp hot hatch has broken the front-wheel drive lap record. SEAT is waiting until the 2014 Geneva Motor Show before saying any more, but has already hinted that its new Leon Cupra is significantly faster than the current Renaultsport Megane record holder. On Bing: see pictures of the new SEAT Leon Cupra at the Nurburgring SEAT Leon Cupra and Cupra 280 review (2014 onwards) To set a new front-wheel drive production car record on the Nordschleife, the SEAT Leon Cupra would have to lap the 13-mile circuit – actually a public toll road that now plays a vital part in new car development – in less than 8 minutes and 7.97 seconds.

Audi A1 Quattro models ‘on the way’

Audi has confirmed it is testing four-wheel drive Quattro versions of the A1 – indicating an imminent expansion of Audi’s supermini range. Although showcased as this one-off at a Quattro publicity event in Montreal, Canada, to celebrate 30 years of the all-corner drive system, Ingolstadt acknowledged at last autumn’s 2010 Paris motor show that Quattro versions of the A1 were in the pipeline. The production A1 Quattro will use the Haldex differential to split drive to both axles; it’s a similar technology to that found in A3 and TT Quattros, as opposed to the mechanical Torsen diff found in larger Quattro models.

Concept Car of the Week: Ford Forty-Nine (2001)

Over 1.3 million orders were placed for the 1949 Ford before it even went officially on sale. The revolutionary post-war design with slick slab sides and semi-covered wheels became a symbol of American optimism. "The inspiration for the Forty-Nine concept comes from the passion and excitement of the original, combined with the imagination of people across America who customized the car and turned it into what they thought a really great car should be," said J Mays, Ford's vice president of Design at the unveiling of the retro-futurist coupe back in 2001.