Aeroquip Fbpa0030-21 Off-road Brakeline on 2040-parts.com

Old is new again: Will a floor-hinged throttle pedal be in your future?

If you think that every little nut, bolt, switch, gear or widget in your new car wasn't scrutinized by a team of highly educated, overworked car geeks (read: engineers), think again. A couple of recent conversations with automotive engineers confirmed that virtually nothing that goes into a car today is taken for granted. During the recent Pebble Beach weekend, I had the pleasure of spending time with an engineer for Jaguar, and the subject turned to materials used for various switches in the cabin.

One Lap of the Web: Scary Almost-Halloween Edition

-- Just in time for Halloween, here's project car as scary as it is inexplicable. A 1988 Lamborghini Countach, actually made by Lamborghini of Italy in 1988 (at the Lamborghini factory) has been neglected like the Trans Am that's been sitting in your uncle's shed since the Carter administration. We're pretty sure there's a scary story about how this Countach ended up this way, but we're not sure we want to hear it -- it'll be too depressing.

Barrett-Jackson undergoes independent audit of 2008-09 auction results

Barrett-Jackson Auction Co. is opening the books on its 2008-09 auction season for an independent review by auditors from Deloitte & Touche. The auditors will examine Barrett-Jackson's auction practices, including its consignment process, bidder qualification procedures, adherence to contract sale terms and proper, timely and accurate payment to sellers.