Volvo Penta Air Intake Filter/ Spark Arrestor on 2040-parts.com

BMW i3 EV: More than 8,000 ordered already

The BMW i3 EV already has 8k orders BMW has invested heavily in their new ‘i’ range of electric cars – as much as £2 billion it’s estimated – with the ‘i’ cars being developed from scratch rather than based on an existing BMW model. The first BMW i to be launched is the compact city car BMW i3, revealed in production form in July, which costs from around £30k for the regular EV and an extra 10 per cent for the i3 with a range extender engine. Despite being revealed in July BMW has not yet officially put the i3 on sale, but that hasn’t stopped potential buyers lining up to palce a reservation, with more than 8,000 already signed-up for an i3.

Chevrolet preps a new car for NASCAR and for the showrooms

Chevrolet will replace the Impala in NASCAR with a new model that it also will sell to consumers. General Motors said the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race car and the showroom model will closely resemble each other and will debut in 2013 as a new nameplate in the Chevy lineup. GM said it will unveil the cars later this year.

Hennessey Venom GT hits 265.7mph for new world top speed record (+ video)

The Hennessey Venom GT – an American, Lotus Elise-based supercar – has clocked 265.7mph for a new world record top speed for a production car. The world top speed record for a production car has been held by the Bugatti Veyron (well, the Veyron Super Sport) at 258mph, but that’s a ‘limited’ speed for its production cars. The Veyron Super Sport actually hit 267.81mph at VW’s Ehra-Lessian track (it actually hit 269.8mph one way) but because production cars are limited to 258mph the higher speed doesn’t count.