03 04 Sebring Automatic Transmission Sdn 6-2.7l on 2040-parts.com

Ford opens proving grounds to the public

For the first time ever, Ford is opening its Dearborn, Mich., proving grounds to the public on Oct. 15. Ticketholders to the Get Your Heart Racing event can take hot-lap ride-alongs around the test track with professional drivers Tanner Foust and Parnelli Jones.

Crazy Skoda concept set to wow crowds

TAKE ONE Skoda Citigo, chop its roof off, install some neon lighting under the chassis and you get the Skoda apprentices’ dream car, apparently. The CitiJet is the madcap brainchild of 16 budding Skoda designers, who were tasked with creating their ideal car out of an existing Skoda model. Effectively, a Citigo Sport has been turned into an open-top city slicker, but don’t ask how the roof closes because there isn’t one.

Porsche 911 GT3 R Hybrid race car revealed

Porsche will bring its latest hybrid know-how to the racetrack in the form of the new 911 GT3 R Hybrid, revealed here for the first time prior to a planned public premiere at the Geneva auto show in early March. Developed by a team of engineers at Porsche's Weissach R&D center, Porsche plans for the stripped-out race car to act as a rolling laboratory. The German carmaker wants to explore the potential of hybrid drivetrains in a racing environment before an expected announcement that it will return to the 24 Hours of Le Mans in a factory capacity, perhaps in 2012, with a race car boasting technology based on that used in the 911 GT3 R Hybrid.