2005 Ford Explorer A/c Air Conditioner Condenser on 2040-parts.com

Kubrick's Jaguar memories: XJ12s and more

Once upon a time there was a small boy, about seven years old, who had taken an interest in cars at a rather early stage, mainly thanks to his old man, who was (and, thankfully, still is) a car enthusiast and, back in those days, a staunch supporter of a certain Southern German marque. This naturally meant that the small boy would sometimes be a bit annoyed by his father's occasionally overbearing passion, but at the same time usually knit his eyebrows himself whenever he came across something sporting four wheels but no blue & white propeller (which, he believed, was the way things were supposed to be). So the foundations had been laid to turn this very young chap into a proper petrolhead one day, but his interest remained relatively casual and moderate until that one fateful evening.

Local Motors launches Pacific Northwest competition

Local Motors' 20th design competition, themed 'Thrive in the Elements,' opens for submissions starting today, 17 March. The new American car company is calling for entrants to design a car based around the four core elements: Earth, wind, fire and water; challenging designers to create a vehicle that will 'inspire Pacific Northwesterners to thrive'. The deadline for entries is 30 March 2010.

Automakers trail in the great gizmo race

A customer at Rockland Toyota in suburban New York recently asked why he couldn't recharge his cell phone through the USB port built into the otherwise sophisticated Toyota Venza crossover. Evan Kuperman, the dealership's assistant general manager, took a deep breath. He shrugged his shoulders and smiled.