* Volvo Penta 431 4.3l 4bbl Carb Carburetor Rochester Quadrajet 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.

Win Jaguar XJ for a golf weekend at the Belfry hotel

CAR's teamed up with Jaguar and Golf World to offer you the chance to win a Jaguar XJ limo for a weekend's golf at the Belfry. You'll drive CAR's favourite limo and play golf at the spiritual home of the Ryder Cup. The XJ will be yours for a weekend in February or March 2011.

Red Bull 1-2 at Silverstone

Red Bull's Sebastian Vettel drove to victory in the British Grand Prix at Silverstone Red Bull brought a newly upgraded car to Silverstone, and boy, did it show. They dominated the weekend and achieved a 1-2 finish, with Vettel cruising from start to finish in an astonishing display. Webber got stuck behind Barrichello in the Brawn off the line, allowing Vettel to storm away.