Blog Masonry

Festooned with more BMW design cues than a knockoff track suit, the colorful BMW M Hybrid V8 is set to enter the inaugural IMSA GTP class at the 24 Hours of Daytona, where Acura has long reigned supreme.

Now featuring twin turbos, this 4.0-liter V-8 features a redline of 8200 rpm and delivers up to 640 horsepower. It’s mated to an IMSA-specified hybrid system, while a separator clutch between the two engines allows for electric-only driving at pit speeds.

Pendragon, the London-listed car dealer behind brands including Evans Halshaw and Stratstone, has received a fresh £400m takeover approach from its largest shareholder. The approach is expected to be confirmed in a stock exchange announcement.

Employees, who have been retained throughout the suspension, will be offered assistance for re-employment, retraining and wellbeing, Toyota has confirmed, adding that they will all be given redundancy payouts. It didn’t confirm how many people were affected.

The Russian Kommersant newspaper, which first reported the plans, said the factory, which has a capacity of 100,000 units a year and produced the Camry and RAV4 models, would be preserved and might be sold in the future.

The automaker has produced extra parts made at its foundries in Untertuerkheim, which go into gearboxes, axles and transmission components to build up stockpiles at plants in the U.S. and China.