1961 1962 F85 Oldsmobile Buick 215 Aluminum V8 2-barrel Aluminum Intake Gm on 2040-parts.com

Used-car shoppers should watch out for potential flood damage

Heavy spring rains swelled rivers such as the Mississippi and flooded numerous towns. You might have stayed dry, but there's still a risk of being affected--if you wind up with a flood-damaged car. Large sections of the Midwest and the Southeast flooded because of heavy winter snow and an especially wet spring.

For new CAFE rules, automakers place high-stakes tech bets

Game-changing 2015 fuel economy rules are forcing vehicle development teams to make high-stakes bets on expensive technologies--bets that will separate the winners from the also-rans. Not only do federal rules target a 2015 fleet average of 35.5 mpg, up from the current 27.5 mpg for cars and 23.1 mpg for light trucks; they force automakers to bet on different technology packages for each vehicle segment. Companies that do best at mixing technologies while keeping down costs will have an advantage when buyers wince at higher stickers.

McLaren 12C Spider UK debut this weekend

The McLaren 12C Spider – the roadster version of the MP4-12C – gets its UK debut this weekend at the Octane Jubilee Tour of Elegance at Windsor Castle. McLaren’s thoughts may be focused on the debut of the new F1 (P12) at Paris in a few week’s time, but that doesn’t mean the more mainstream MP4-12C and its convertible sibling, the 12C Spider, are pushed aside. After revealing the 12C Spider in July – and taking it off to Pebble Beach in August – it’s now time for the UK to get its first public view of the new convertible McLaren.