99-00 Civic 4dr Sedan Crystal Chrome Headlights+red Clear Rear Tail Lamps on 2040-parts.com

Toyota: Fixes are working on recalled vehicles

Toyota maintains that the fixes being made to correct unintended acceleration in millions of recalled vehicles are sufficient. But at a press event Monday, company officials said they are willing to bring in as many independent researchers as needed to resolve the issue once and for all. “We don't think there is a ghost issue out there,” said Kristen Tabar, general manager of electronic systems at the Toyota Technical Center in Ann Arbor, Mich.

AutoWeek office swag: Mazda rotary-engine keychain with realistic motion

When I got the keys to our long-term 2011 Mazda 5 last week, they came with a surprise--this aluminum-and-brass keychain in the shape of a rotary-engine housing, complete with moving rotor. The rotor doesn't just rattle around or spin in a circle. Thanks to a thumbwheel on the back of the housing, coupled with a timing gear and offset crank journal, the thing actually moves in an approximation of epitrochoidal motion just like a real Wankel.

La Dolce Vita won't return to Monterey in 2010

La Dolce Vita, the second big Italian-car event of the Big Monterey Weekend, will not return for 2010. First, some background: La Dolce Vita came about when Concorso Italiano, the longtime favorite of Italian-car lovers at Monterey, moved from the Black Horse Golf Club to an airport north of Monterey two years ago. The airport location was panned by attendees for its cold, windswept concrete and general lack of character.