1989 Mercruiser 350 Bell Housing on 2040-parts.com

SkyTran to trial maglev two-seater transport system in Israel

California-based skyTran has signed an agreement with Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) to build a test version of its patented maglev transport network.  The 500 meter-long demonstrator will begin operation late next year, and is designed to prove the system's potential for reducing road congestion by lifting passengers above the highway, into space that's not currently utilized. The skyTran system is a network of computer-controlled, two-person vehicles that use maglev technology. Users will request one of the system's two-seater pods to the nearest available station using a smartphone app.

Early cars, fashion on display at the Petersen

Automotivated, a new exhibit at the Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles, traces the evolution of clothes worn in cars--from the bulky circus-tent stuff people had to wear to keep from freezing to death in the jangly, open-topped conveyances of 100 years ago, up to the height of the European Concours in the 1920s and '30s, when what you and your date wore was just as important to winning best of show as the styling of your Delahaye/Delage/Talbot Lago. “In the earliest days of the automobile, you were sitting on the car, you weren't sitting in it,” said Leslie Kendall, curator at the Petersen. So the first section of the exhibit shows people (mannequins dressed as people) in heavy, practical overcoats, scarves and goggles.

Volvo gives T6 engine the Polestar treatment

Just weeks after announcing its Polestar performance kits for the T5-engined cars, Volvo is now offering packages for the XC60, S60 and XC70 models fitted with its turbocharged six-cylinder engine. The T6 Polestar software package adds 25 hp and 30 lb-ft of torque, bringing totals to 325 hp and 355 lb-ft, respectively. Volvo says the added power won't result in greater fuel consumption, as the tuning of the engine only increases power when needed--though we'd imagine most drivers will feel the need often enough to significantly affect mileage.