2003 Service Manual Supplement 300m, Concorde And Intrepid on 2040-parts.com

Video: Listen to the Alfa 4C rev then watch it hit the track

We haven't heard many complaints about the new Alfa Romeo 4C. So far, kvetching has been limited to the fact that Alfa won't produce too many of them, that they won't be free, and that there's no manual transmission option. Also, the headlights are weird.

Feds researching fire risks from EV batteries, regulator says

Federal safety regulators have begun an $8.75 million study of whether lithium ion batteries in electric vehicles pose a potential fire hazard, officials said Thursday. Kevin Vincent, chief counsel of the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, said researchers are looking at whether the high-voltage batteries can cause fires when they are being charged and when the vehicles are in an accident.

Third Tesla Model S catches fire

Update: According to an Automotive News report, "NHTSA said it will contact local authorities about the latest fire 'to determine if there are vehicle safety implications that merit agency action.'" The agency had previously backed away from an investigation after determining that vehicle defects were not to blame for the fire in early October. Just after Tesla Motors reported a $38 million third-quarter loss and within a few weeks of two other car fires, a third Model S sedan reportedly burned on the highway near Smyrna, Tenn. The Tesla Motors Club forum supplied photos of the crash, which occurred around 1:30 Wednesday afternoon, in addition to intense speculation on the cause of the fire.