Port City Racing, Steel Radius Rod/swage Tube 3/4in.x30in. 100-t42-3002-a, New! on 2040-parts.com

The Viper Lives!

The Dodge Viper has been saved by Fiat and will continue in production. The real problems for GM and Chrysler were their appalling high-volume cars, stuck at least a decade behind Europe in both styling and efficiency, they were an accident waiting to happen. And the meltdown in car sales worldwide, coupled with the jump in gas prices in the US (which has now gone), signalled the end of the old ways.

BMW Vision ConnectedDrive (2011) first pictures

This gorgeous two-seat roadster is the BMW Vision ConnectedDrive, set to be unveiled at the 2011 Geneva motor show. Unlike some of BMW’s other Vision-tagged concept cars, this unfortunately isn’t a thinly disguised production car, but a study designed to highlight the company’s driver assistance systems.  However, although BMW has released no details on the engine or layout under the sexy skin, thankfully the Vision ConnectedDrive’s stunning styling (including the shark nose, wrap-around rear lights and layered body) will find its way onto future production BMWs.  For a start sensors in the headlamps and rear lights monitor the traffic situation and the environment around the car, while instead of wing mirrors there are antennas that receive navigation data and transmit other information. Inside the driver has a 3D head-up display, and the system can project information about the chosen sat-nav route so it appears at the exact point of a possible turn-off. The 3D system also displays information in the foreground or background of the display depending on its relevance.

Hennessey opens up the LS9-powered Camaro

Hennessey Performance is introducing a convertible version of its limited-edition 2011 HPE700 Camaro. The tuning company will produce just 24 copies of the 2011 HPE700 Camaro, but it hasn't revealed how many will be hardtops or convertibles. “We have already sold several of our 2011 HPE700s in hardtop form, increasing the potential for the convertible LS9 Camaro to become an even rarer option than before,” said John Hennessey, president of Hennessey Performance.