Standard Motor Products Cv111 Choke Thermostat (carbureted) on 2040-parts.com

Morgan celebrates 100 years – and a new model

There aren’t many car makers around the world who have been in business for 100 years, and even fewer that have remained in the same family for all that time. But Morgan, that maker of anachronistic 1930s-style cars, is not only still going strong, it is celebrating its 100 year anniversary in 2009, and is now the only remaining British-owned car maker in existence (aside from the ‘Garden-Shed’ makers). Morgan's Centenary Celebration Model - A Pedal Car!

Power Boost For Vauxhall’s Sporty Astra GTC

VAUXHALL has boosted the performance of its three-door Astra GTC with the inclusion of a new 1.6-litre turbo petrol motor. Slotting in below the firm’s hot VXR variant, this latest addition to the Astra range boasts 197 horsepower and is the same unit that also powers Vauxhall’s premium drop-top, the Cascada. On-paper performance figures promise a brisk driving experience, with the 1.6 turbo Astra GTC topping out at 143mph and capable of sprinting to 60mph in 7.3 seconds.

GM's top battery executive for the Volt to join California startup

General Motors's top executive in charge of developing batteries for the Chevrolet Volt plug-in hybrid is leaving to take a position with an unnamed startup battery company in California. Denise Gray, 46, global director of rechargeable energy storage systems, will step down March 5 after more than three years in the post. This was “an opportunity that I could just not resist,” Gray said in a phone interview.