1997 Kawasaki Kx 250 Kx250 Pipe Guard on 2040-parts.com

Rhys Millen loses brakes, takes second place at Pikes Peak

Rhys Millen, nephew of parts guru Steve Millen, didn't break Nobuhiro Tajima's world record at the 89th Pikes Peak International Hill Climb--Tajima did that himself. But Rhys Millen did clock a fast second-place run up the 12.42-mile course with a time of 10 minutes, 9.242 seconds in a prepped Hyundai Genesis PM580. That time was made even more impressive by the fact that Millen lost brake power in the last few miles before reaching the peak.

Maserati Makeover: Italian luxury maker plans for dramatic growth

Maserati announced ambitious growth plans on Thursday to dramatically increase global production to 50,000 units by 2015. By comparison, Maserati delivered 6,159 units in 2011, an increase of 8.5 percent compared with the previous year. More than 2,700 of those were versions of the GranTurismo.

Volkswagen Golf GTE Plug-in Hybrid UK debut

The VW Golf GTE (pictured) gets its UK debut at the NEX next week The Volkswagen Golf GTE – which VW see as a plug-in hybrid Golf GTI – was revealed in February ahead of its debut at the Geneva Motor Show last month and is now heading for the Gadget Show Live at the NEC next week for its UK debut. With a 1.4 litre TSI petrol turbo producing 148bhp and a 101 bhp electric motor, the Golf GTE promises decent performance – 0-62mph in 7.6 seconds – daft official economy figures of 188 mpg and the ability to run on electric power only for up to 31 miles. It’s an appealing combination for a Golf that can offer city running benefits with a turn of decent performance when the mood takes, although at a price likely to be north of £30k it’s not exactly a budget buy.