Polaris Atp Tailgate 2004 330 Tail Gate Atv on 2040-parts.com

Lotus named lead marque for Goodwood

Lotus will take a place of pride as lead marque at June's Goodwood Festival of Speed, backed by an expected record attendance of more than 40 historic racing Lotus models. “Lotus is an incredibly important British car marque, and we plan to have maybe the greatest concentration of a single marque that we've ever had at the festival,” said Lord March, whose Goodwood historic house provides the backdrop for the four-day event beginning on June 28. Emerson Fittipaldi will be reunited with his championship-winning Lotus 72 and an early Lotus 7 race car, a type that many drivers--including British Le Mans legend Derek Bell--cut their teeth on in their formative years.

One Lap of the Web: a lap of the 'Ring, a lap of the YouTubes and a lap of the eBays

-- The Porsche 918 achieved a spectacular and borderline-unbelievable time just a few days ago, but here are some less heroic cars lapping the 'Ring, like Peugeot 205s, modern BMWs and a few bikes mixed in for good measure. Check out the classic Heckflosse (fintail) Mercedes-Benz at 2:05. -- Filmmaker Casey Neistat filmed, umm, a pretty good commercial for the new Mercedes-Benz CLA, but it's the making-of video that's even more fun to watch.

NYC approves Ford Transit Connect for taxi fleet

New York signed off on the Ford Transit Connect to be used for taxi service, paving the way for the nation's largest city to begin switching to the small van in place of the aging Crown Victoria. The move was announced Thursday after a public hearing; New York joins Boston, Philadelphia and Chicago on the list of major cities that have approved the vehicle for taxi service. The Transit Connect (and Taurus sedan) is approved for use now, but a Nissan van will become the exclusive vehicle in 2013.