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

Transmissions gone wild!

If you've been car shopping recently, or just paying attention to Autoweek car reviews, you've noticed that the six-speed automatic -- de rigueur as recently as a year ago -- suddenly has ratio envy. The new hotness? Eight- and nine-speed automatic transmissions.

One Lap of the Web: Rags to riches, Beetles to Porsches

-- Joseph MacDonald parked his 1965 Beetle in front of a restaurant 41 years ago, and that was the last time he saw it. He might yet see it again today, as his stolen car -- now painted white, and with even more rust -- will reunite with him, through the providence of border patrol officers actually performing some due diligence. Jason Torchinsky -- who knows a thing or two about stolen Beetles -- notes that he was lucky enough not to have waited 40 years for his car to come back.

Nissan GT-R R36: Is this it?

Facebook user 7tune snapped a picture of a Japanese magazine claiming to have pictures of the R36 Nissan GT-R. The poster, whom we assume can read Japanese, says the next GT-R will have a hybrid powertrain like the McLaren P1 and Ferrari LeFerrari. He also says it will carry a new version of the company's twin-turbocharged 3.8-liter V6 making 580 hp.