Arias Pistons 12.5:1 Compression 82mm Bore Honda B-series on 2040-parts.com

Ford posts best June sales performance in down market

In a month of sandbagged auto sales, Ford was the clear winner. The Blue Oval posted a sales decline of “just” 10.7 percent in June, in a market that fell nearly 27.7 percent. It was by far the best showing of any major carmaker, helped by strong sales of its Fusion sedan and Escape crossover.

Classic vs. Modern: Scion FR-S/Subaru BRZ vs. Datsun 280Z

My interest in cars remains stuck in the early 1970s--when I was spending most of my time trying to retrieve the copies of AutoWeek that had been confiscated by my second grade teacher, Mrs. Wilks. While my iPod may be full of downloads from the likes of Dirty Pretty Things, The Kooks and Grizzly Bear (and very little from Led Zeppelin, the Stones or Pink Floyd), my garage contains nothing built after 1991.

One Lap of the Web: Car creatures of the Hollywood Hills

-- Jay Leno, presumably back from filming McQueen's Jaguar XKSS, now places his chin atop the front seat of a 1925 Doble E-20, which, being steam-powered, fulfills Leno's interpretation of alt-fuel. Abner Doble built his first steam car while he was still in high school, and by 1915 the Doble Detroit had set new standards of reliability, convenience, noiselessness, and speed -- in 1925, Howard Hughes drove Leno's Model E to 132 mph. -- Los Angeles, car culture capital of the world, has its fair share of hipsters, eccentrics, airheads and Chrysler LeBarons.