Volvo Penta Propeller on 2040-parts.com

Aston Martin Coupé Zagato Centennial and Spyder Zagato Centennial

American car collector Peter Read has commissioned a pair of Zagato-bodied Aston Martins that coincide with the British marque's centenary. The DBS Coupé Zagato Centennial and DB9 Spyder Zagato Centennial are the hard- and soft-top siblings are the latest in a long line of collaborations between the two companies. But while many have been – an admittedly more exuberant – expression of contemporary Aston design language, the Centennials have a stronger individual identity with an almost sedan-like aesthetic with forward-leaning noses and long Kamm tails.

GM Korea doubles size of its design center

GM has invested $40million in its Korea Design Center, doubling the size of the facility. The expanded studio opened on 25 April, and will give improved support for both exterior and interior design. As well as more studio space, the upgraded facility now includes improved exterior modeling and 3D printing facilities, an outdoor viewing area with three turntables, and a virtual reality studio – the latter allowing design reviews to take place in real time with GM's network of nine other design centers in six other countries around the world.

Ford Fiesta eWheelDrive gets wheel hub electric motors

The Ford Fiesta eWheelDrive – a driveable research vehicle built by Ford and German specialists Schaeffler – may be a regular supermini in size, but it points towards a potential future EV which is much more compact and very manoeuvrable. Ford has taken a regular Fiesta and dumped its powertrain, replacing it with a battery bank where the engine would be and fitted a pair of in-hub electric motors on the rear wheels. But the plan is to build new cars with the batteries under the floor which frees up the space under the bonnet which can then be all but removed to create a very compact urban car that still has space for four.