Big Block Chevy Marine Camshaft on 2040-parts.com

Car makers shun Detroit show NAIAS 2009

By Simon Stiel Motor Shows 27 November 2008 11:28 The number of car makers pulling out of Detroit's major auto show, the North American International Auto Show 2009, is growing. The very survival of Detroit is being questioned as Congress debates the $25 billion aid package to save GM, Ford and Chrysler – and now it looks as if the NAIAS is under threat too. In the past weeks, Ferrari, Land Rover, Rolls Royce, Mitsubishi, Nissan and Suzuki have announced their withdrawal from the show, which is scheduled to begin on 11 January 2009.

Concept Car of the Week: Oldsmobile Golden Rocket (1956)

From 1949 to 1961, General Motors ran its own motor show. Called Motorama, the annual event was a showcase for concept cars which revealed prospective design and technology directions for all of GM's brands and for cars in general. Each year, one-off creations were designed and built for GM's multiple divisions, from Chevrolet all the way up to Cadillac.

Novitec Alfa Romeo 8C Spider adds boost for a sensuous 600 hp

Novitec has laid hands on the near-perfect Alfa Romeo 8C to create the 8C Spider Kompressor, a car the tuner claims is the “most powerful street-legal Alfa Romeo of all time.” Heady words, but they're nicely backed up by a supercharged version of the 4.7-liter Alfa V8 cranking out 600 hp and 434 lb-ft of torque. That's up from approximately 450 hp and 346 lb-ft on a stock Alfa Romeo 8C Competizione. Tweaks supporting the force-fed mill include a water-to-air intercooler, custom injectors and revised fuel and ignition mapping, plus a variable stainless-steel exhaust system.