Model T Ford Water Pump on 2040-parts.com

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.

New MINI JCW GP laps Nurburgring in 8:23 (video)

We have video of the fastest MINI ever – the MINI John Cooper Works GP II – lapping the Nurburgring in 8:23. We revealed back in April that a new version of the MINI JCW GP was on the way, and MINI got round to confirming that in May when the new MINI John Cooper Works GP was officially revealed. At the time, MINI told us that the new MINI GP could hustle round the Nurburgring a full 19 seconds quicker than the old MINI GP making the new hot MINI the fastest MINI ever made (well, the fastest MINI ever made by BMW, anyway).

Volvo von Koenigsegg – the Vox Volvo P1800

The Vox Volvo P1800 - a modern reworking of the original with a 550bhp V8 Vöcks latest creation – The Vox Volvo P1800 -is based on the iconic Volvo P1800, which those of a certain age will remember was driven by Roger Moore’s Saint back in the ’60s. In its day the P1800 was something of a revelation – a sporty, appealing Volvo (come to think of it, it’s still a bit of a revelation!). Vöcks has remained faithful to the original P1800, at least in style.