Mr. Gasket 9828 Wing Style Air Cleaner Nut on 2040-parts.com

Autoweek in review: What you may have missed

On Monday we woke to a recall involving the Ford Fusion and the Escape SUV for a problem with its 1.6-liter engine that could cause a fire. More than 80,000 vehicles were affected, and more bad news was to come. Auction house RM touted its car list for its January Arizona event, including some Italian and American racing history.

BMW's MPA line bridges the gap to M

Soon, bridging the gap between your father's 328i M-Sport and the M3 of your dreams will be simple, all thanks to BMW MPA. The admitedly uninspiring "MPA" moniker doesn't refer to an accounting certification available at your local community college, but rather, M Performance Automobiles. It serves as a step between the M-Sport appearance package already available on nearly every BMW model and the fire-breathing M cars at the top.

Aftermarket Car Plug-In Hybrid system developed (video)

The Department of Engineering Technology at the Middle Tennessee State University has developed a plug-in hybrid retro-fit system for cars. As hybrid cars show the world that we can get more miles to the gallon from fuel by adding in an electric motor to the mix (depending on just how that electricity is generated, of course), it was inevitable that aftermarket solutions would eventually surface. Now, the Department of Engineering Technology at the Middle Tennessee State University has popped up with what they claim is an after market plug-in hybrid system that can be added to just about any car and would cost – assuming it gets to market – around £2,000.