1983 Polaris 600 Indy Parts: Radiator Tube on 2040-parts.com

Race2Recovery gets set for second Dakar Rally

Race2Recovery, a rally-raid team filled mostly with disabled veterans, is headed to its second Dakar Rally in two years. The team took its two Defender-based Wildcat rally trucks, one T4 competition truck, one T5 support truck and two Land Rover Discovery (LR4 in the U.S.) support vehicles to the Le Havre port in France for scrutineering. Then they joined 650 other competitors in loading the ships bound for South America.

Mercedes-Benz courts Renault for new Smart model based on Twingo

Mercedes-Benz is set to join forces with Renault in a deal aimed at providing its underdeveloped Smart division with a contemporary-engineered front-engine/front-wheel-drive platform as the basis for a frugal new Forfour model. The new Smart, due out in 2013, is planned to sit on a lightly modified version of the Renault Twingo’s underpinnings, complete with a 93.3-inch wheelbase. Speaking about the new car over the weekend, a highly placed Mercedes-Benz official told AutoWeek: “It’s a key component in plans to grow the Smart brand.

2013 Honda Fit EV sales expand to East Coast

Honda is expanding leases of its Fit EV from the left-coast bastions of Oregon and California to the East Coast markets of Massachusetts, Connecticut, Maryland, New York and New Jersey. Eco-minded East Coasters still can’t buy the car outright, but they’ll now be able to lease the electric Fit for three years at a cost of $389 per month. The Fit EV has a mpg equivalency rating of 118 and an EPA electric driving range of 82 miles.