Brodix Cylinder Heads Valve Spring Bt120121 on 2040-parts.com

Kia goes (dark) green

By Jesse Crosse Motor Industry 23 September 2008 11:00 Kia has unveiled a portfolio of new environmental technologies, including a 1.4-litre Ceed with stop-start (due in the UK in 2009), a Ceed hybrid and the latest version of its fuel cell-powered Sportage. The Korean manufacturer is investing heavily in research and development and will increase its spend on R&D from £2.2 billion this year to £2.6 billion by 2010, combined with a 40 percent increase in manpower at its research centres around the globe. The money is being spent on developing downsized, turbocharged engines, efficiency improvements to conventional engines such as friction reduction and the separation of accessories like water pumps from the engine.

The Pontiac Firebird hits the streets: Autoweek archives

In 1967, General Motors launched its answer to the Ford Mustang--the Chevrolet Camaro. Based on that same unibody chassis, Pontiac rolled out its entrant, the Firebird. In this issue of Autoweek from February 1967, we have the pictures and engine specs on the "new" Pontiac.

Auctioneer Dean Kruse's money woes continue

Auburn, Ind., auctioneer Dean Kruse has been ordered by a local court to pay more than $1.3 million to an Indiana bank, and a leasing company has asked a federal judge to repossess Kruse's 1985 Cessna jet, which had been insured at $3.5 million. These two recent events are on top of several months' worth of financial woes for one of the classic-car world's best-known auctioneers. AutoWeek reported in August that people from across the country were complaining that they had not been paid for cars sold at various Kruse International auctions.