1970-1981 Trans Am, Firebird Windshield Lower Trim #1 on 2040-parts.com

GM's green future: EVs, plug-in hybrids

General Motors' future green-car efforts will focus on plug-in hybrids and electric vehicles rather than conventional hybrid powertrains, product chief Mary Barra said Wednesday. Barra said GM has narrowed its future development emphasis in an effort to defend its leadership position attained with the Chevrolet Volt plug-in hybrid. GM will unveil an electric Spark minicar in late November at the Los Angeles auto show.

Muscle-car icons immortalized in new postal-stamp set

Perhaps sensing that it's at risk of going the way of the carbureted big-block and leaded gasoline, the United States Postal Service is apparently willing to try anything to boost its bottom line. Though we're sure its recently announced line of postal worker-inspired apparel will be a runaway (and runway) success, we're glad to see the USPS reaching out to the automotive-enthusiast community with a new set of limited-edition stamps that commemorate the American muscle car. We told you about the stamps earlier this year, but we can now confirm the lineup.

Diesel fumes linked to illnesses

DIESEL exhaust fumes have been linked to a range of illnesses and long term health conditions from heart disease to diabetes. The fumes are a complex mixture of gases and fine particles containing contaminants including microscopic particles less than one-fifth the thickness of a human hair and small enough to penetrate deep into the lungs and bloodstream. Over a long period of the time, exposure to the fumes can raise the risk of potentially deadly blood clots and increase the risk of stroke by narrowing the arteries that carry blood to the brain.