Vintage Pflueger "phantom" 6-12v Trolling Motor M-2 (working) on 2040-parts.com

Two-wheel Lowdown: 2013 Harley-Davidson CVO Breakout

Perhaps a shrink can explain sometime why crows, brook trout and people like shiny things. But until then, know that the Harley-Davidson CVO Breakout attracts an audience like a shimmering lure zaps a rainbow out of the aspen shadows. The Breakout—new for 2013 from Harley's Custom Vehicle Operations in Milwaukee—is a dazzling interpretation of the popular Softail.

First Sight: Mercedes-Benz SL

The new high-tech, low weight Mercedes SL roadster receives its official global unveil next week in Detroit but Car Design News got an early peek of the final production car and had a chat with its designers at Mercedes' US advanced design studio in Carlsbad, California back in November. "We want to get back to clean, long-lasting design," director of Mercedes global advanced design and SL project leader, Steffen Kohl told CDN at the exclusive preview of the sixth-generation model. "So the new SL is long, sleek and still full of tension in the feature lines but less wedgy." In a short presentation Kohl felt all SLs became successfully iconic in their times because they followed two key rules – ‘sensuality' and ‘cleanness' – but alluded that the first rule may have been lost in more recent eras.

Clean cars make us happy

A CLEAN CAR makes us feel happier and three out of four drivers say a spotless car makes them feel better about themselves. In a survey by car wash specialists IMO, 74% of drivers reported a shiny car was a quick way to make themselves happier, while only a minority said they would ‘rather boil their head’ than get their car washed. Young drivers are the most likely to improve their mood with a car wash, with 85% saying a shiny car gives them a boost.