1970 Yamaha Rt1 360 Gas Cap on 2040-parts.com

VW to intro Passat BlueMotion Concept at Detroit auto show

While performance heads are anxiously awaiting the North American debut of the hot-heat Mk VII Golf R at the Detroit auto show, Volkswagen's Passat BlueMotion Concept offers never-before technology in the Yank/Canuck family sedan segment: a four-pot motor with cylinder deactivation. Based on the EA211 1.4L turbo motor we sampled last year in the Euro-market Audi A3 sedan, the Passat BlueMotion Concept's engine is capable of shutting down the middle two cylinders during cruise, and features the Jetta Hybrid's gearbox, a twin-clutch unit capable of decoupling from the engine during off-throttle coasting. In the Passat's application, the 1.4 puts out 150 hp and 184 lb-ft of torque; VW suggests its highway fuel economy will stand at 42 mpg.

Junction auto-brake for next Volvo XC90

THE NEXT Volvo XC90 will be able to brake itself if its driver attempts to pull out in front of an oncoming car, as one of two world-first safety innovations. This auto-brake technology detects whether an approaching car is technically on a collision course and will hit the stoppers to prevent a possible accident. However, there is no mention of an increased risk of rear-end collisions where drivers following the XC90 might also accelerate, not expecting the Volvo to stop suddenly.

Nizam of Hyderabad’s 1912 Rolls Royce Siver Ghost Throne Car has done just 356 miles

The newly restored 1912 Silver Ghost Throne car One of the first Rolls Royce in India – the Nizam of Hyderabad’s 1912 Rolls Royce Silver Ghost Throne car – has been restored to its original glory. In 1911 the 6th Nizam of Hyderabad – Mehboob Ali Khan - ordered a Rolls Royce Silver Ghost, and had it sent off to Bakers of Edinburgh to create a very special body, fit for Nizam (think Maharajah, the generic term for Indian Royalty). The brief was to create a body that would be a throne on wheels, and Bakers duly obliged creating a Silver Ghost with rich yellow paintwork, a silver domed roof, gold mountings and fittings and an interior trimmed with silk and brocade.