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

Chrysler 200C EV unveiled at Detroit auto show 2009

By James Foxall Motor Shows 12 January 2009 13:07 With the years of elaborate stage sets and money-burning stunts such as driving cars through plate glass windows consigned firmly to the history books, Chrysler’s 2009 Detroit Motor Show stand was a sober place to be. While Ford and General Motors executives chose largely to ignore the financial crisis and government bail outs by pretending they hadn’t happened, Chrysler president Jim Press started his presentation by cracking jokes about it. He then outlined how the company – in an aggressive restructuring programme before the credit crisis – was responding.

Vintage photos show Ford Mustang I and the elusive XD Cobra

It's hardly surprising that our readers want to share their memories of the Ford Mustang -- 50 years is a long time for an automotive nameplate to endure, and the model's upcoming 50th anniversary is as good excuse as any to look back on the experiences that have made the car an enthusiast hit. Take William Drew, who had a close encounter with pony car history when he saw the Mustang I concept, plus a rare Ghia-bodied Shelby Cobra concept, at an auto dealer in Dallas in 1970. His slides (taken with a Yashica camera, he notes) show the unusual cars in the nice, bright colors of Kodachrome.

New Opel Monza Concept at Frankfurt 2013 signals a new big coupe from Vauxhall

The Opel Monza (1980s Monza pictured) will make a return at Frankfurt There was a time, for those not old enough to remember, when mainstream car makers produced big saloons and coupes. But no more. With very few (low-selling) exceptions, car makers like Vauxhall and Ford have given up their full-sized saloons and downsized, with SUVs of varying sizes now seen as the real future.