Triumph Neck Gaitor on 2040-parts.com

Modified Mercedes turned to gold

GERMAN tuning firms are known for occasionally crossing the barriers of taste, but this latest offering from Carlsson appears to have gone into new territory. Called the CS50 Versailles – after the Palace of Versailles that King Louis XIV turned into a opulent chateau – it’s based on the latest generation Mercedes-Benz S-Class, which is hardly a car short on luxury. But that hasn’t stopped Carlsson turning it into an automotive homage to gold.

Car production increases again

THE SOCIETY of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) said UK manufacturers built 91,282 cars in August, up 16.2%, or 12,705, on the same period in 2012, leaving year-to-date volumes 3.1% ahead of 2012, at 984,545. The figures showed 20,298 cars were made for the home market this year, up 21.1%, while 70,984 were for export, up 14.8%. SMMT chief executive Mike Hawes said: "The past 12-months has been one of the most productive since late 2008." Samuel Tombs, of consultancy Capital Economics, said the CBI figures showed the manufacturing sector "continuing to go from strength to strength".

Tesla Model X SUV delayed until 2015

Tesla has revealed that its Model X SUV – based on the Model S – will be delayed until 2015 so Tesla can concentrate on Model S sales. Despite plenty of cynicism in the car industry that Tesla could deliver their Model S saloon at all, never mind at a reasonable cost, Tesla has confounded its critics by not only launching the Model S, but seemingly taking as many orders as it can handle. On the face of it, that’s not surprising.