387600 Packard Rod Bearings on 2040-parts.com

Vauxhall launches speed limit detectors on Insignia (2008)

By Tim Pollard First Official Pictures 19 June 2008 07:53 Vauxhall's new Insignia will be the first of a wave of cars to have a forward-facing camera that can read road signs. The optional kit will detect speed limit and no overtaking signs – and flash up a reminder to the driver on the dashboard.GM calls the tech, which will be launched in early 2009, Traffic Sign Recognition and it uses a small, wide-angled camera system supplied by Hella. It sits at the top of the windscreen near the rain sensors and rear-view mirror, scanning the road ahead taking 30 photos per second.It's 1984 all over again...With a range of 100 metres, the camera focuses on circular patterns and then interprets the numbers inside by contour comparison; if a match is found on the software's database, that road sign will be flashed up in the driver's binnacle.The front-facing camera is also used as a lane departure warning system, alerting the driver if they unintentionally swerve out of their lane on a motorway.Cars with cameras: a growing trendMore and more manufacturers are fitting cameras to their cars nowadays and you can expect a flood of systems like the Insignia's to be launched in 2009, including the new BMW 5-series.CAR tried out these new systems on Bosch prototypes in 2007.

2012 Mercedes B-Class: Tease and Technical

It's the 2012 Mercedes B-Class in the dark When we get a tease for a new car it’s usually just a shadowy image of the new wonder with all the detail taken away, in case we use Photoshop to bring it to life. Just like the photo (above) we got in of the 2012 Mercedes B-Class. But this teaser photo of the new B-Class is not just a bit of PR frippery, as it comes with a proper raft of detail on how much effort Mercedes has put in to the new B-Class, and just how much is new.

Awesome video of Porsche engine teardown

If you’re considering tearing down the 3.2-liter air-cooled flat-six in your 1984-1989 Porsche 911 , this stop-motion video should help motivate you. Skipping past all the stuck fasteners, broken parts and most of the unpleasant discoveries you’ll encounter when pulling any old engine apart has a way of making a full teardown seem downright manageable. But, whether you have an old 911 or not, this video is mighty entertaining and definitely worth a look.