Wsm Piston Ring Set - 78.50mm Bore 010-916-05 on 2040-parts.com

SCCA, IMSA champion joins Survive the Drive

Bob Sharp, SCCA and IMSA GTU champion, has joined the board of directors of Survive the Drive, an organization aimed at educating teen drivers about auto safety and crash prevention. Sharp joins Sam Posey and John Fitch as representatives from the motorsports world. Survive the Drive began in 1997 in northwestern Connecticut with Skip Barber Driving School instructor Bob Green.

General Motors fires back at Volkswagen

General Motors issued a terse response this week to published comments by Volkswagen CEO Martin Winterkorn, who suggested to the German press that Opel could be sold to a Chinese competitor. Detroit-based GM called Winterkorn's comments “regrettable” and accused him of “fanning speculation.” Opel was nearly sold to Magna and Russian investors in the wake of GM's 2009 bankruptcy. But then-CEO Ed Whitacre and the corporate board reversed that decision, igniting controversy from German political and labor leaders who have long chafed under American oversight.

Tokyo Auto Salon pits performance autos against hybrids

The world's other big January auto show, the 2010 Tokyo Auto Salon, opened its doors to tuner enthusiasts in mid-month with a record 402 exhibitors. The Auto Salon fuses numerous styles, but the overriding theme this year was hybrid cars, with customized Toyota Priuses and Honda Insights at every turn. Good old-fashioned engine tuning is alive and well in Japan, where even new sports cars are being heavily modified, with cars such as the KRL Mitsubishi Evolution X and the HKS Nissan GT-R both boasting in excess of 600 hp.