Westerbeke 30166 Hose on 2040-parts.com

Renault is reviving the Gordini name for high-performance models

They don't sell Renaults in the United States anymore, but it's worth noting that the French automaker is reviving the Gordini name for high-performance versions of the Twingo and the Clio. The name pays homage to Amedee Gordini, a mechanical whiz known as "the sorcerer" for taking production-car engines and making them competitive on the great racetracks of Europe. The Gordini versions of the Twingo and the Clio will wear the trademark light blue paint with a pair of white stripes running from nose to tail and centered over the driver.

Some Chevrolet dealerships halt Volt sales due to tool costs

Some Chevrolet dealers have stopped carrying the Volt after deciding that their sales didn't justify an additional $5,100 for tools to service the plug-in hybrid. Last month, General Motors notified Chevrolet dealers of the added cost for tools, among other requirements, to keep selling and servicing the Volt. The math didn't work for Allyn Barnard, owner of Jim Barnard Chevrolet in Churchville, N.Y., near Rochester.

Tomorrow's world: lightweight carbon composites

Once all the dust settles on The Great Battery Farce (the idea that the world's ills will be taken care of by sticking a battery in everything that moves and charging it up) we may eventually face up to the fact that the best way to move something around more economically, is to move less of it. That means making things lighter, a lot lighter. Car makers are working on it and manufacturers like Audi and Jaguar have already become masters in bringing aluminium to the mass production.