Vintage The General Oil Filter Canister Model 1a-25a / Red & Black / Novi, Mich. on 2040-parts.com

Aston Martin & Mercedes join forces

Aston Martin Production will soon see an injection of Mercedes DNA This isn’t the first time we’ve talked about a partnership between Aston Martin and Mercedes, but according to Car & Driver it’s now just about a done deal. As long ago as March 2009 we reported that Mercedes supplied the basis for the Lagonda SUV Concept (a Mercedes GL), and six months later we reported that Aston Martin were working on a Mercedes S-Class based Lagonda saloon. More recently we reported that the GL-based Lagonda SUV was back on and that Mercedes wanted Aston Martin to put together the next generation of Maybach.

The first Volkswagen Beetle in America looked like this

On Jan. 17, 1949, the Holland America Line Westerdam pulled into New York Harbor from Rotterdam carrying the seed of an automotive empire. It had been only four years since Volkswagen resurrected operations in Wolfsburg, the factory heavily ruined by Allied forces and now under the command of Major Ivan Hirst.

New fuel marker to prevent fraud

A NEW RED DYE fuel marker is being introduced by the British and Irish governments to tackle fraud. The illegal use of cheaper fuel in the UK means criminals avoid paying tax and can sell it on at a lower rate than normal fuel from a petrol station. The new marker will make it harder for criminals to disguise fuel by removing the red dye.