1979 Olds 350 V8 Gas Engine on 2040-parts.com

Crunch watch Dec 08: the auto industry in crisis

By Tim Pollard and Simon Stiel Motor Industry 31 December 2008 14:05 Wednesday 31 December 2008• GMAC, GM's finance arm, said it would immediately revise its criteria for providing loans, after the US government bail-out of the General's credit arm. It will now supply credit for anyone with a score of 621 or more on the Fico scale, the scale used to assess Amercian customers' creditworthiness (Financial Times)• The news means that 80% of US consumers would now qualify for a loan from GMAC – which should improve sales in the depressed US market (Detroit News)• Chrysler is being lambasted for taking out full-page adverts in the American national press thanking the nation for supporting its auto industry. But critics point out this is a fresh waste of bail-out resources, as pages in the Wall Street Journal – one of the titles in which the ad ran – reportedly cost up to $264,000.

White Van Man 'worst for tailgating'

MOTORISTS should beware of White Van Man on their tail, according to a survey of thousands of accidents. Van drivers were 47% more likely to be involved in a crash when they were following other drivers too closely, the survey by AXA Business Insurance found. The survey also found van drivers were much more likely than other drivers to crash while reversing, doing a U-turn and changing lanes, while they were more liable than other road users to get tired or distracted.

Ford Freestyle under investigation for low-speed surges

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is investigating the Ford Freestyle wagon for complaints that it surges forward at low speeds. More than 200 complaints have been lodged about the issue, alleging that the Freestyle jumps forward at low speeds even when the accelerator isn't pressed. NHTSA is investigating about 170,000 Freestyles in model years 2005 through 2007.