Empi 87-9470 930 Cv Joint Race Prepped W/ Chromoly Cage Dune Buggy, Sandrail on 2040-parts.com

2011 Toyota Yaris T Spirit & Yaris SR revealed

2011 Toyota Yaris gets two new models - T Spirit & SR The Toyota Yaris isn’t the coolest supermini on the block, but it does have a certain appeal and the benefit of being a proper ‘mini’ car – perfect around town. It even handles quite well, is well-built and has a surprising amount of room inside. Even with all that going for it Toyota are obviously expecting the New Year to be less than easy on car sales, so they’ve announced a couple of new models at the top of the Yaris range to tempt buyers with extra goodies for just a wee bit extra – or nothing at all.

Concept Car of the Week: Autobianchi Runabout (1969)

The 850 was a very popular car for Fiat in the ‘60s, especially in its spider version with its cute design and compact proportions. When the time came to replace it, Fiat went back to Bertone, where chief designer Marcello Gandini was charged with designing its replacement. Not happy to simply recreate the 850, he began with a whole new layout by placing the engine directly in front of the rear axle for a mid-engined layout.

Old is new again: Will a floor-hinged throttle pedal be in your future?

If you think that every little nut, bolt, switch, gear or widget in your new car wasn't scrutinized by a team of highly educated, overworked car geeks (read: engineers), think again. A couple of recent conversations with automotive engineers confirmed that virtually nothing that goes into a car today is taken for granted. During the recent Pebble Beach weekend, I had the pleasure of spending time with an engineer for Jaguar, and the subject turned to materials used for various switches in the cabin.