1974 -77 Datsun Voltage Regulator Avr811 Lucas on 2040-parts.com

Mercedes SLS AMG Roadster on the road

Mercedes SLS AMG Roadster caught testing in Germany The Roadster will have the same 6.3 litre engine as the Gullwing – meaning 0-60 in around 4 seconds and a top speed of 195mph – but it will  make do with a canvas top. Which of course means no Gullwing doors. But it would seem the sensible way to go.

This could be your first autonomous vehicle

While Google's autonomous fleet of robot cars prowls Silicon Valley and gets all the press, the first, or one of the first, truly autonomous vehicles you may ride in could be something like this: The humble, people-moving Navia. Developed by a French company called Induct, the Navia is ringed with laser beams (not frickin' laser beams. Ed.) that help it navigate through city streets or college campuses without the aid of a track in the ground, a rail or even GPS (GPS is not accurate enough, Induct says).

Volkswagen has plans for yet another Beetle

The Volkswagen Beetle is on its way back, and this time around, it will be focused more on driving dynamics than on efforts to resurrect the past. Expected to appear in concept form at the Los Angeles auto show late this year, the second-generation version of the modern-day Beetle goes on sale in the United States in May 2011. A convertible with a fabric top will follow about a year later.