Walker Exhaust 15590 Exhaust System Parts on 2040-parts.com

Record expected for Auto Union sale

By James Mullan Motor Industry 07 February 2007 09:21 A rare 1939 Auto Union Type D grand prix car is tipped to tear up the record books this month when it goes under the hammer – for an estimated price of up to £7.8 million. Auto Union developed the Type D racing car with a mid-mounted 3.0-litre 12-cylinder engine; in 1939, it was modified with the addition of a twin supercharger, increasing power 420bhp to 460bhp – enough for a top speed of 205mph. This particular car won the French and Yugoslavian Grand Prix in 1939, but at the end of the Second World War it was transported from East Germany to the former Soviet Union by Russian occupation forces as spoils of war.

Car Design of the Year Awards 2007

What was your favorite car design from 2007? Here's your chance to vote for your favorite designs and CDN will present an award to the winning design teams. For the next four weeks, Car Design News is asking its readers to vote for their favorite car designs from the last twelve months.

Tesla asks NHTSA to investigate fires

In response to concerns following a recent accident which appeared to result from road debris damaging the underside of a battery compartment of a Tesla Model S, causing a fire in the engine compartment, the company has announced that it has requested that the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration conduct a full investigation into the fire incidents. In a blog post, Tesla CEO Elon Musk wrote the following about the investigation: "While we think it is highly unlikely, if something is discovered that would result in a material improvement in occupant fire safety, we will immediately apply that change to new cars and offer it as a free retrofit to all existing cars. Given that the incidence of fires in the Model S is far lower than combustion cars and that there have been no resulting injuries, this did not at first seem like a good use of NHTSA's time compared to the hundreds of gasoline fire deaths per year that warrant their attention." Tesla has also released a software update to the cars which will maintain their standard ride height at highway speeds, preventing the air suspension from lowering the car an extra inch at highway speeds for greater aerodynamic efficiency.