Honda Civic Custom Kit 1996-1998 on 2040-parts.com

Bungling thief caught after stealing hire car's steering wheel

A DIM-WITTED criminal has been convicted of theft after stealing parts of a brand new Audi A3 hire car and replacing them with old bits taken from his much older Audi S3. Alexander Keating, a 23-year-old former bodyshop technician who lost his job following the conviction, stole parts as obvious as the steering wheel and gear knob from the A3 that his mum had hired after damaging her car in an accident. Keating foolishly believed no one would notice the battered old steering wheel on the otherwise shiny, new car, but sure enough the mismatched parts were spotted and the hapless bungler was caught by the car hire firm’s bespoke anti-fraud team Asset Protection Unit (APU).

Ford F-150 pickup will get three replacement powertrains for 2011

The 2011 Ford F-150 pickup will get three replacement powertrains. Ford Motor Co. will offer a 3.7-liter V6 and a 5.0-liter V8 in the 2011 F-150 pickup when it goes on sale early next year, sources say.

Twin-turbo Ferrari 458 Italia takes on the Lamborghini LP-700-4 Aventador: Video

Exotic-car tuner Underground Racing from North Carolina prepared a Ferrari 458 Italia with a “bolt-on” twin-turbo system, boosting engine output to 700 hp. For comparison, the tuner matched the blown Ferrari against a Lamborghini LP-700-4 Aventador and its naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12, rated at 700 hp. “We were interested to see how they stacked up against each other after seeing a twin-turbo Gallardo almost get beat by an Aventador,” Underground Racing president Kevin Howeth said.