04-11 Mazda Rx-8 1.3 13b Rear Counter Weight 3.538 Lbs on 2040-parts.com

Welsh rugby star swaps the ruck for a truck

WALES international rugby star Scott Williams swapped his studs for driving shoes this week as the 2014 British Truck Racing Championship came to Pembrey Circuit. The Scarlets centre was given professional tuition before taking the wheel of the 1,200bhp 5.5-tonne tractor unit himself – and nearly ending up in the crash barriers. Despite his little off, Scott impressed his tutors and even did well enough to warrant a potential future in racing.

VW Pickup concept (2008): first official photos

By Chris Chilton First Official Pictures 24 September 2008 18:00 He’s designed Alfa Romeos, Audis and even a Lamborghini but now Walter de'Silva has gone all humanitarian and designed a pick-up.  VW’s first small flatbed since the Mk1 Golf-based Caddy will take on trucks like the Toyota Hilux and Mitusbishi L200 when it goes on sale late in 2009. It is, but not for long. This thinly veiled concept, called simply Pickup Concept, has been designed as a search and rescue vehicle for coastguards but essentially this is what badge-conscious UK builders will be driving in 2009. The new Volkswagen corporate face with its monobrow top grille and wide mouth is likely to be carried over mostly unchanged to the cars that will roll off the South African production line, as will the surprisingly stylish interior which features hooded instruments and Audi TT-style air vents. Mechanical details are sketchy but Volkswagen claims that engines will be common-rail diesels which rules out the old-tech 2.5 five pot that powers many of VW’s current commercials.

Yearly driving costs rise 3.4 percent

This won't be a surprise to anyone--it's costing more to own and drive a car. Higher prices for fuel and tires, and a larger drop in the resale value of cars, pushed the average cost of owning a sedan to $8,776 a year, according to AAA of Heathrow, Fla. That's up 3.4 percent from a year ago.