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

Ford opens proving grounds to the public

For the first time ever, Ford is opening its Dearborn, Mich., proving grounds to the public on Oct. 15. Ticketholders to the Get Your Heart Racing event can take hot-lap ride-alongs around the test track with professional drivers Tanner Foust and Parnelli Jones.

Volkswagen prices limited-edition Beetle GSR

Volkswagen is bringing back the yellow-and-black Beetle GSR for 2014, more than 40 years after the “Yellow Black Racer” (Gelb Schwarzer Renner) debuted for the first time. That car had around 50 hp; the new one will eclipse that by just a little bit. On sale today, the Beetle GSR will use VW's turbocharged 2.0-liter TSI engine making 210 hp and 207 lb-ft of torque.

Woven in the Fabric of Enthusiasm

Editor's note: This article was first published in the April 30, 2000, issue of AutoWeek. Single chauffeur/single passenger two-door steel/aluminum/canvas/crocodile-embossed hide custom tourer 92 hp @ the shaft, 207 lb-ft @ 1,600 rpm 323.50-cid Chrysler L-head inline-eight Rear-wheel drive Four-speed, clutch-free semiautomatic 0-60 mph: 10 seconds EPA combined mpg: 8+ mpg Base price, None. Built for owner's use Or you could buy: Chitty Chitty Bang Bang II ($1,100,000+) It has been 79 years since Count Louis Zborowski, a Polish nobleman, created the glorious Chitty Chitty Bang Bangs of which only one survives.