1982 Dodge Colt / Plymouth Champ / Shop Manual Set / Shop Book Set / Originals on 2040-parts.com

Lotus's glimmer of hope: Proton stands by Hethel

After another painful year of sales for Lotus in the UK – down 58% on 2011 - Norfolk's beleagured sports car brand has kicked off the New Year with the grand unveiling of its new flagship Malaysian showroom, and the thumbs-up from senior Proton company suits that Lotus isn't on its last legs. The announcement comes in the same week Lotus’s sales figures were released for 2012. Showing a substantial 58% decrease in sales and selling just 137 vehicles, Lotus Cars was the worst performer in the UK with a woeful 0.01% share of the market.  Are Lotus's Malaysian owners sticking by the company?

Concept Car of the Week: Chevrolet Astro (1967)

It gave its name to a boxy van in the 80s, but the Chevrolet Astro I was one of the most exciting dream cars developed within the GM styling studio. Presented in New York Auto Show in 1967, it was the first of three Astro concepts shown in annual succession and illustrates GM's desire to develop models that were both aerodynamic and attractive. What we might take for granted in aerodynamics nowadays was almost untouched territory in the mid ‘60s.

One Lap of the Web: A podcast anniversary and a Facellia

-- Ford's F-350 can tow 35,000 pounds, which is pretty nifty. But it's lacking one crucial element in race-car transporting: it really could use Plymouth logos and a red, white and blue paint job with the word "REBEL" emblazoned on the side in the same lettering that announced Roosevelt's presidency. Hence, this 1965 Dodge C500 ramp truck built to look like something you could find in the paddock of Fontana Drag City circa 1965 with an altered-wheelbase Belvedere Funny Car on the back and a case of Tecate where the Mac tools go.