Looking for parts for your sportscar? Looking for a Maserati? Those, plus thousands of other items at Grandpa Richard’s Sportscar Store.

Almost 50 years ago, in 1960, Newcastle doctor Harold Carr parked his 1937 Type 57S Atalante in a garage, and never drove it again.

He died in 2007 and his family was shocked to find it there, dust covered, but in good condition. It may fetch up to £3m ($4.35m) when it goes under the hammer.

The classic car is thought to be one of just 17 built. It was capable of reaching speeds of 130 miles per hour, at a time when most cars topped out at under 70 mph.

A similar model, cleaned up, is also shown.

In 1998 Volkswagen purchased the rights to the legendary Bugatti name. VW has kept the brand alive, most recently with the Bugatti Veyron, one of the world’s fastest and most expensive cars.

The T.25

Not exactly a sports car story, except that it involves an engineer for the famous F1.

Gordon Murray, who is the engineer behind the McLaren F1, is at work on a green city car called the Type 25, aka T.25. Although the actual design is a secret, Gordon did say that, “Our goal is to make the T.25 the next iconic city car, from a styling point of view, as was the 1957 Fiat 500 and the 1959 Mini.” (more…)

Electric vehicles on show include two two-seater sports cars, the Electric Lightning GT and the Tesla Roadster. More practical vehicles include the Th!nk City car, the five-seat Ze-o MPV and the new Quiet Cars brand. How about a Corvette that can do 0-60mph in 3.4sec and 0-100mph in 7.0sec, with a top speed of 205mph? (more…)

Fisker Karma is a four-door plug-in hybrid sports sedan which was introduced in January 2008. The first cars will be delivered in the 4th quarter of 2009 in North America with planned delivery to Europe in 2010. Fisker Automotive’s annual production is projected to reach 15,000 cars. News Release. (more…)

Mexico has a massive automotive sector – but there have been few indigenous Mexican brands. Brothers Daniel and Carlos Mastretta mean to change that – and the car that bears their family name was one of the stars of the London Show. (more…)

Spokeswomen at both Honda and Nissan said they were exploring various new materials to use on vehicles but denied they were developing a new carbon fibre material with Toray and others. Nissan said Toray currently supplies it with carbon fibre material, which it uses in high-end models such as the GT-R and 350Z sports cars and the Infiniti G35/G37 coupe in components such as the propeller shaft. The Nikkei daily said the use of carbon fibre will likely improve fuel efficiency and reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 30 percent. One of the issues is the high price of carbon fibre, but the cost gap with steel is expected to narrow over time as steel prices continue to rise, it said.

Perhaps you’ve always wanted a Cobra but knew you’d never find the one you wanted. Maybe you are simply mechanically inclined and looking for a challenge. You might even be seeking an opportunity to learn more about the whole of automotives. Whatever your motivation, you have decided to invest in a kit car, sometimes referred to as a replicar, and you need some guidance in selecting a kit provider. (more…)

North American car culture is dominated by SUV’s, family sedans, and economy cars. Sports cars stand out in this crowd. There are many selling points for various types of automobiles, but sports cars are uniquely attractive for at least five reasons. (more…)

I love these cars made by small companies that most of us have never heard of.

The Seven is the original British lightweight sportscar. Originally created by Colin Chapman and launched as the Lotus 7 in 1957, the car embodies the Chapman design ethos of ‘adding lightness’. The low mass of the car makes it inherently agile, gives startling performance and, most of all, imbues the driving experience with its unparalleled sense of purity, control and reward. It is, quite simply, a motoring icon. (more…)