Banshee Pingel Power Flo Fuel Valve on 2040-parts.com

Ford reveals S-Max concept ahead of 2013 Frankfurt motor show

Here's another one that'll probably go straight into the “not bound for United States shores” file: the Ford S-Max concept, which will make its grand debut at the 2013 Frankfurt motor show. Ford says the S-Max previews a “future sport activity vehicle,” which may, in fact, be contemporary PR-speak for “mini-minivan.” Look beyond the carbon-fiber interior detailing (and add some door handles) and you'll see a vehicle that looks more or less production-ready. The S-Max concept isn't too wildly sculpted, sharing styling cues with current Fords (including the Fiesta, Escape/Kuga, C-Max and Fusion/Mondeo) -- from the creases on the hood to the high, hexagonal grille to the stainless steel trim surrounding the greenhouse.

New Aston Martin V12 Vantage S quicker than Jaguar F-Type V8 S

The new Aston Martin V12 Vantage S (pictured) is Aston’s quickest car At the end of last month, as expected, and following the ending of production of the V12 Vantage, the new Aston Martin V12 Vantage S arrived. Aston proclaimed the new V12 Vantage S as the quickest production car they’d ever built (with the exception of the £1 million One-77) but declined to tell us exactly how quick it was. But now AML have finished playing with their stopwatch and declared the V12 Vantage S will get to 62mph in 3.9 seconds (0-60mph in 3.7s), an improvement of 0.3 seconds on the V12 Vantage and giving the V12 Vantage S the edge over the car we think it should be compared to – the new Jaguar F-Type V8 S.

Americans plan to keep their cars longer, AutoPacific study finds

In another chilling sign that auto sales are likely to remain stalled, a new study finds that Americans intend to keep their cars longer, indicating a general concern about the industry and the overall economy. The number of new-car buyers planning to keep their rides more than four years has risen to 59 percent, according to a study released Tuesday by California marketing research firm AutoPacific. That's an increase from last year, when about 45 percent of new buyers intended to wait more than four years for their next purchase, and it's up from 2005's tally of 46 percent.