Blog on 2040Parts

Porsche's Tony Hatter on the design of the new Cayman [w/Video]

Porsche design manager for Sports Cars Tony Hatter features in a short video explaining the design process and evolution of the new Cayman. Hatter explains how the design team worked towards seriously transforming the proportions of the car to give it a new image while keeping it looking like a Cayman. The Porsche 904's design was crucial in the process, inspiring several of the car's main aesthetic features.

BMW 4-series configurator goes live

The configurator for the 2014 BMW 4-series is live at www.bmwusa.com. Potential buyers can check out the new coupe and flip between 12 colors, two engines and three main trim levels. We first saw the BMW 4-series concept in Detroit back in January and we took a deeper look in June.

Suzuki Swift 4×4 arrives in the UK – costs from £11,516

New Suzuki Swift 4×4 (SZ4 pictured) arrives in the UK The Suzuki Swift is a fun little car and a great alternative to more mainstream options. And now you can have it with 4WD. The Suzuki Swift 4×4 has been announced for the UK – it’s already on sale in parts of Europe and Japan – adding the ability to cope with slippery surfaces with a bit more alacrity.

The Bluebird DC50 is an electric supercar to celebrate land and water world speed records

The Bluebird DC50 (pictured) is an electric supercar to celebrate Campbell world speed records Don Wales has an impressive family tree – certainly when it comes to speed – with Sir Malcolm Campbell his grandfather and Donald Campbell his uncle. So it’s no big surprise that Don is plotting to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Donald Campbell’s land and water world speed records in 2014 with a new, limited edition supercar, taking time out from making Bluebirds to break the electric land speed record. But the anniversary is in 2014, so Campbell junior has decided that his celebratory supercar – the Bluebird DC50 – will be an electric supercar rather than an ICE one.

Caterham 620R heading for Goodwood debut

The Caterham 620R (pictured) will debut at the Goodwood FoS Caterham may be planning an assault on the mainstream car market with an SUV and a City Car, but it’s not forgetting its roots, with a new entry-level 7 in the mix and now a new range-topping 7 – the Caterham 620R. The Caterham 620R is heading for Goodwood this week for a debut – and consigning the current R500 to the history bin in the process – as the most powerful road going car Caterham have ever produced. The power comes from the same 2.0 litre Supercharged Ford engine as the R500, but in the 620R the wick has been turned up to 11, with 310bhp on offer, enough to scoot the 500kg 620R to 62mph in just 2.8 seconds.

Porsche big up the Panamera S E-Hybrid (video)

The Porsche Panamera S E-Hybrid (pictured) is a performance Porsche too We’ve long seen hybrids, and plug-in hybrids, as the perfect performance weapon for high-end cars, where the addition of an electric motor offers an unbeatable combination of power and economy. That’s the line that Porsche are taking with the new Panamera S E-Hybrid, and they demonstrated that recently by revealing that the new E-Hybrid managed to average 62mpg in the hands of a bunch of motoring journalists on a test day. Which is an impressive number for any car in the hands of a group of people with lead-lined right feet and clearly demonstrates that the Panamera Hybrid really can do silly mpg even in the real world.

AC Schnitzer upgrades BMW M6 line

AC Schnitzer has a new performance package for the BMW M6 coupe, convertible and Gran Coupe. In addition to engine upgrades, the tuning company adds suspension pieces, bodywork, interior bits and a choice of 20- or 21-inch wheels. Output is up from 560 hp to 620 hp, while torque grows to 582 lb-ft.

Caterham 620R (2013) first official pictures

Caterham will launch its most hardcore road-going Seven ever at the 2013 Goodwood motor show. Called the 620R, the new range-topper develops 310bhp, and will hit 60mph in 2.79sec, making as fast as an a 691bhp Lamborghini Aventador. The 620R replaces the R500 in Caterham's range, and costs £49,995.

Datsun gears up for supermini production – but it’s not coming here

Nissan’s revival of the Datsun name kicks into first gear later this month with the official reveal of the reborn marque’s new supermini. The new Datsun, which will share components with the Nissan Micra, will be unveiled on 15 July 2013 in New Delhi, India , before going on sale across India, Indonesia, Russia and South Africa in 2014. What do we know about the new Datsun supermini?

Suzuki refreshes Swift with five-door Sport and 4x4 model

Suzuki is offering its cracking little warm hatch, the Swift Sport, with five doors for 2013. The family-friendly model shares its powertrain with the three-door Swift CAR ran (and loved) as a long termer last year – that means a naturally aspirated, 1.6-litre engine good for 134bhp, a six-speed manual gearbox and 0-62mph in 8.7sec. Suzuki says it expects one-third of Swift Sport customers to opt for the five-door model – sales have so far averaged 1200 a year in the UK.

2014 Mazda 6 priced at $21,785

The 2014 Mazda 6 sedan is on sale now and costs $21,785, including a destination charge of $795. That's about $400 more than last year's model. Stepping up to the Sport trim costs $23,490 while the Touring model starts at $24,440.

Volkswagen Passat TDI Clean Diesel sets fuel economy record

Volkswagen set a new Guinness World Record last week for lowest fuel consumption during an 8,122-mile tour of the lower 48 states in a Volkswagen Passat TDI Clean Diesel, achieving 77.99 mpg during the trip. This new record bested the previous one by about 10 mpg. During this record-setting trip the Passat TDI Clean Diesel also beat the hybrid record by more than 13 miles per gallon.

Mercedes prices SLS AMG Black Series and C63 Edition 507

Mercedes-Benz priced two of its hottest models last week, the 2014 SLS AMG Black Series and the C63 AMG Edition 507. The gullwing will come in at stratospheric $276,800. The more earthbound C63 sedan will sticker for $70,925, and the coupe is $73,452.

New Opel Monza revealed – sort of – ahead of Frankfurt debut

Opel’s Karl-Thomas Neumann (pictured) reveals the first look at the new Opel Monza Last week we revealed that there will be a new Opel Monza at this year’s Frankfurt Motor Show in September, although much of the detail was educated guesswork. And even though Vauxhall has taken some off the wraps of the new Monza this morning, we’re still not really any the wiser. Vauxhall/Opel are calling the Monza ‘The Future’ of the brand and say it represents a vision of the company’s future and will have a long term impact on production cars.

Jaguar Land Rover Heritage Parade in London for Queen’s Coronation Festival

Jaguar Land Rover drive their Royal Heritage cars down the Mall to celebrate the Coronation Festival Remarkably, considering 2012 was the 60th anniversary of the Queen coming to the throne and the celebratory events we had, we’ve heard very little about the 60th anniversary of the coronation. In fact, we’ve already passed the diamond anniversary of the Queen’s coronation (on 2nd June) without any huge fanfare but, for some reason, we have a ‘Coronation Festival’ from 11-17th July to celebrate the ‘Best of British’. But it seems Jaguar Land Rover couldn’t wait for the event to start properly, so they’ve jumped the gun and gone parading a selection of Jaguars and Land Rovers with Royal connections  round London this weekend.

One Lap of the Web: Mercedes-Benz SLC rendered, Google Glass for the Tesla S and a rusty Datsun 280ZX

We spend a lot of time on the Internet -- pretty much whenever we're not driving, writing about or working on cars. Since there's more out there than we'd ever be able to cover, here's our daily digest of car stuff on the Web you may not otherwise have heard about. -- Last month we brought you some intriguing spy photos of a Porsche 911-fighting Mercedes-Benz coupe -- possibly to be called the SLC, or even the next SLS AMG (it's all a bit unclear at this point) -- but layers of camouflage made it a bit tough to see what the car will look like.

Nissan Renault have sold 100,000 electric cars

Nissan Renault have sold 100,000 electric cars like the Renault Zoe (pictured) Nissan Renault are the only mainstream car maker to have embraced the idea that the electric car is the future, so they’ve been busy building and marketing their EV offerings for a couple of years and have now reached a sales milestone – 100,000 EVs sold. It sounds a lot, but in terms of worldwide car sales it’s a drop in the ocean. Still, it’s an important milestone nonetheless.

Vauxhall Monza Coupe concept (2013) at Frankfurt motor show

The Vauxhall Monza coupe concept is a sign of things to come, says Vauxhall, and will be revealed at the Frankfurt Motor Show in September 2013. Vauxhall coupes are rare beasts: since the Cavalier-based Calibra of the '90s and smaller Corsa-based Tigra, we've only had the imported V8 Monaro and the Astra two-door. The low-slung Monza previews the styling and design language of future products in the Opel/Vauxhall portfolio.

Jaguar at Goodwood Festival of Speed. Will we see the Jaguar F-Type R?

Will Jaguar show off the Jaguar F-Type R (pictured) at Goodwood? With the 2013 Goodwood Festival of Speed arriving at the end of the week, car makers are revealing what they’ll be taking to the petrolhead party, and it looks like Jaguar are taking something new too. As well as a chunk of the quickest Jaguars in existence, there’s going to be a new Jaguar F-Type Roadster Design Study.

New Range Rover Sport races a Spitfire on the Goodwood Airfield (video)

The new Range Rover Sport takes on the iconic Spitfire (pictured) in a race at Goodwood They may have stolen the idea from Top Gear, but Land Rover has taken up a challenge from FortyOneSix.com to turn up at the Goodwood Airfield with a new Range Rover Sport and take on a WWII Spitfire on the Goodwood Airfield. As the Goodwood Airfield is a grass strip, it’s a proper test of the new Range Rover Sport’s ability to get away on slippery surfaces and the Spitfire provides a worthy challenger with its 1750bhp V12 Merlin engine offering a 400mph performance in the air and over 80mph at take-off. The Vickers Submarine Spitfire was piloted by Matt Jones from the Boultbee Flight Academy and the RRS by Mike Cross, so there was no doubting the abilities of both to get the best out of their charges.

Wayne Cherry receives Lifetime Achievement Award at EyesOn Design 2013

Renowned car designer Wayne Cherry was honored with a Lifetime Design Achievement Award at the EyesOn Automotive Design Exhibition at the Edsel and Eleanor Ford House, Michigan. The former GM vice president of design was chosen by a panel of his fellow designers for the honor after a 42-year career with the carmaker, during which he was involved in the design of over 80 concepts and more than 90 production vehicles. Only vehicle designers who have previously won the award are allowed to vote, with this year's panel including Chris Bangle, Walter de'Silva, Tom Gale, Giorgetto Giugiaro, Chuck Jordan, Robert Lutz, Shiro Nakamura, Chuck Pelly, Sergio Pininfarina and Jack Telnack.

2014 Nissan Pathfinder pricing announced

Nissan has just announced pricing for the 2014 Nissan Pathfinder, which appeared last year as an all-new model for 2013. In addition to a Pathfinder hybrid, the lineup grows by a few trim options with the two-wheel drive Pathfinder S now starting at $29,545 and the four-wheel drive Pathfinder S starting at $31,145. At the top of the range is the Pathfinder Platinum four-wheel drive, which is expected to retail for around $42,045.

Hertz announces Ford Mustang-based Hertz Penske GT rental car

There's nothing wrong with your basic cloth-interior rental cars, but there are times when you want to stumble off the plane and into something a bit more stimulating than a CVT-equipped Versa. Fortunately, rental car companies seem to be willing to answer the enthusiast call. Last week we told you about the Hertz Dream Car lineup and its $1,500-per-day Ferraris, but the company has also developed the muscle-car oriented Adrenaline Collection.

Bluebird DC50 electric supercar (2014) pays tribute to Land Speed Record legend

The Bluebird name is back – and this time it’s on a road-legal supercar. This is the first sketch of the Bluebird DC50, an electric coupe that’ll be launched in 2014 to mark 50 years since Donald Campbell’s land and water speed record runs. It’s the brainchild of Don Wales, grandson of Sir Malcolm Campbell and nephew of Donald Campbell.

VW plotting 'XR1' lightweight supercar

Volkswagen plans to create an ultralight, mid-engined sports car, with the pace of a base Porsche 911 but the fuel economy of a Golf TDI. It's codenamed 'XR1': read on for the full CAR scoop. What's the inspiration for the VW XR1?

Top Gear Tonight: Ferrari F12, BAC Mono, Ron Howard & the world’s best taxi

Jeremy drives the BAC Mono (pictured) in tonight’s Top Gear Tonight’s second episode of series 20 of Top Gear gets back to the usual format. The new reasonably priced car is in action for the first time as film director Ron Howard – who’s just done Rush, which chronicles the rivalry between James Hunt and Niki Lauder during the 1976 F1 season – gets behind the wheel of the Vauxhall Astra to set a lap, talk about cars and his new film. Jeremy Clarkson gets to play with the stunning Ferrari F12 Berlinetta, which with 731bhp, 0-62mph of just 3.1 seconds and a top speed of 211mph should induce more than a grin or two from Jezza as he takes to the roads of Scotland.

Hyundai HCD-14 Genesis is the ‘Most Significant Concept Vehicle of 2013′

The Hyundai HCD-14 (pictured) is the most significant concept car of 2013 Hyundai does do good concept cars, and they do have a bit of a track record of taking more of what a concept promises through to production than many other car makers. Like the i-Flow that turned in to the Hyundai i40. So the news that a Hyundai concept has grabbed the gong for the most significant concept car of 2013 does auger well for a future where the Hyundai HCD-14 Genesis actually turns in to the next Genesis, with much of what the concept offers still recognisable.

German Grand Prix (2013) RESULT

The 2013 German Grand Prix (pictured) The expectation for the 2013 German Grand Prix is that even if Vettel can’t win his home Grand Prix for the first time, there should at least be a ‘German’ win with Hamilton in the Mercedes on pole. But Hamilton made a poor start and it wasn’t just Vettel who got past, but Webber too to make it a one-two away from the line for Red Bull. But at Webber’s first pit stop a wheel came off as he pulled away, hitting a cameraman, and by the time he got his wheel joined to the car again he was a lap down.

New Opel Monza Concept at Frankfurt 2013 signals a new big coupe from Vauxhall

The Opel Monza (1980s Monza pictured) will make a return at Frankfurt There was a time, for those not old enough to remember, when mainstream car makers produced big saloons and coupes. But no more. With very few (low-selling) exceptions, car makers like Vauxhall and Ford have given up their full-sized saloons and downsized, with SUVs of varying sizes now seen as the real future.

Ferrari F12 & Eric Clapton’s Ferrari SP12 EC at Goodwood

The Ferrari F12 Berlinetta (pictured) will be at the 2013 Goodwood Festival of Speed The 2013 Goodwood Festival of Speed starts on Thursday with the Moving Motor Show, and Ferrari are planning a good turnout including the F12 Berlinetta popping its Goodwood Cherry. It’s nearly eighteen months since the Ferrari F12 was revealed, but this coming weekend it will get a chance to strut its 731bhp up the Goodwood hillclimb. With a 0-62mph of just 3.1 seconds and a top speed of 211mph (which isn’t that important up the hillclimb) the F12 promises a stunning spectacle for Goodwood’s visitors.