Chrysler Oem Dodge Exhaust Heat Shield 05290149ac Image 12 on 2040-parts.com

McLaren SLR Edition revealed

McLaren SLR Edition A year ago – almost to the day – we reported that the very last McLaren SLR had rolled off the production line (well, production floor is more like it at McLaren) and that McLaren and Mercedes were going their own ways – McLaren with the McLaren MP4-12C and Mercedes with the Mercedes SLS AMG. The swansong for the SLR was the SLR Stirling Moss, an SLR dressed up like a silver arrow car from the 1930s, without a roof and only a vestigial windscreen. Or at least we we believed the Stirling Moss was the last SLR.

2013 Aston Martin DB9 – Virage Vanquished

Aston Martin has given the DB9 a makeover – a facelift and a bit more – for 2013 as the tweaked DB9 signals the end of the Virage. But all is not lost with the Virage, as the 2013 DB9 gets a Virage makeover – inside and out as well as more power from its V12 and the addition of Aston Martin’s adaptive damping. The 5.9 litre V12 engine under the new DB9′s bonnet now offers 510bhp and 442lb/ft of torque – more than the Virage managed to muster – and is much the same as the revised AM11 V12 we see in the new Vanquish but with a bit less power.

LX-rated love-in: Web forum members make their virtual passion real

The Dodge Charger, the Challenger and the Chrysler 300C share more than what Chrysler calls its LX platform. They also share an enthusiastic owner base at the www.lxforums.com Web site, where for the last six years more than 33,000 enthusiastic owners have met virtually to share information, photos and love for their cars. Event founder and 2005 300C owner John Fortuno calls it a "modern-day version of the car club." Five years ago he decided to "bring the virtual to reality" by staging a Spring Festival car show in Southern California where members could meet in person.