95 Ford Explorer Electric Door Switch on 2040-parts.com

McLaren mysteries: Some things you might not know about the P1 and its maker

The McLaren P1 is one of the most spectacular supercars in the world, and it's been an object of fixation for enthusiasts since it debuted as a concept last fall in Paris. The basics are well known: a 903-hp hybrid powertrain, carbon-fiber for almost everything, and taut, curvaceous styling that introduces McLaren to a fresh generation. The P1 grew out of a somewhat hokey mission statement that McLaren produced back in 2009.

SEMA ups scholarship money for car-crazed college kids

The Specialty Equipment Market Association, better known to most of us as SEMA, has announced a hefty boost to its SEMA Memorial Scholarship Fund for 2013: The top student selected now gets $1,000 more for a total of $5,000 toward an automotive-related college education. Other eligible participants in four-year programs get $3,000—last year, they only received $2,000—and two-year students get their funds doubled to $2,000. In the Buckeye State, one lucky student at the Ohio Technical College will get complete tuition coverage, which is a cool $29,400.

125th Anniversary of the Automobile: Karl Benz and Gottlieb Daimler put the world on wheels

The world will mark the 125th anniversary of the invention of the automobile on Jan. 29. Karl Benz filed a patent for a three-wheeled vehicle driven by a gasoline engine in Mannheim, Germany, on that day in 1886, the same year Gottlieb Daimler completed his motorized carriage in Cannstatt, Germany.