01 Durango Air Bag Driver on 2040-parts.com

Cheap mods: Adventures In Aspect Ratios

Seven years ago, I bought a rough-looking-but-good-running 1992 Honda Civic DX hatchback, for use as a gas-sipping alternative to my daily-driver P71 Crown Victoria. These days, it's the car I drive when it snows in Denver, and it's a reliable all-around beater. The EG Civic (as the 1992-95 Civic hatchback was designated by the factory) has become a much-sought-after classic in recent years, sort of the '55 Chevy of the early 21st century, and there's such a vast array of factory and aftermarket performance hardware available that I haven't been able to resist the idea of doing some power and suspension upgrades.

Alfa Romeo Spider and next-gen Mazda MX-5 details

Details on the new Alfa Romeo Spider continue to come in. Alfa sources say the car will blend lightweight engineering and modern styling with an accessible chassis and power output around 170 hp. It will go on sale in late 2015, sources said.

Lexus LF-A still on the cards

With the car world in turmoil, and buyers running scared of high performance cars, most of the car makers around the world are shelving their high-end projects until things settle down. Honda has announced that it has put its NSX replacement on ice (although it is apparently still going to show it at Detroit) and other manufacturers are concentrating on their frugal products. But Toyota is taking a different tack.