on 2040-parts.com

Quarter of UK cars' brakes 'could fail without warning'

MORE THAN a third of all cars in Europe have brakes that could fail without warning, according to a new report. Research carried out for Cosan Lubricants’ Mobil Car Care range, at independent service garages across the UK found that 26.5% of UK motorists had defective brake fluid, with nearly one in 10 unintentionally risking their lives every time they drove. The research tested the quality of brake fluid – the liquid that allows the modern braking system to work.

One Lap of the Web: A wiseguy in a Cadillac

-- Not many car reviews feature a shot-for-shot remake of "Goodfellas." (We're still banking on Ford's re-introduction of the Crown Victoria for a shot-for-shot remake of Beastie Boys' "Sabotage.") Matt Farah of the Smoking Tire did for its review of the Cadillac CTS V-Sport, which took four days to shoot and six to edit, and probably three more to steal the dolly cam from Scorsese's basement. -- You might not remember the Saturn Pioneer, but back in 1979, "the new marque Saturn was developed to play on the increased attention to astronomy NASA's deep space probes were generating," writes automotive historian/inveterate liar Jason Torchinsky. One of GM's many H-Body cars, the Pioneer -- named after the probe, not the Probe -- carried an innovative version of GM's venerable "Iron Duke": it had both a carburetor and throttle-body fuel injection, which undoubtedly added needless complexity that could have better served the real Rocket Division, Oldsmobile.

Concept Car of the Week: Toyota EX-III (1969)

The Toyota EX-III was presented at the 1969 Tokyo motor show, alongside the EX-I and EX-II concepts. It was by far the most advanced and portrayed a Japanese answer to the American and European dream machines. Just like its smaller sibling, the EX-1, the mid-engined EX-III was designed 'for the increased safety and comfort that tomorrow's high-speed travel will demand,' said the brochure.