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

Off the line: Fun cars and social responsibility Autoweek op-ed stands the test of time

It's been almost 21 years to the day that Autoweek printed Matt DeLorenzo's column “Off the Line: There's room for fast, fun cars in diet of social responsibility.” And in those two decades plus, not much has changed except the vehicles themselves. For example, sports cars like the Bugatti Veyron and Pagani Huayra have astronomically high performance and safety levels; similarly, sport-utility vehicles that haul entire families (and most of their earthly possessions) achieve fuel economy similar to that of 1970s midsize sedans. To read all of DeLorenzo's thoughts and his case for automobiles, click the links to download the article.

Top 5 Car Photo Galleries of 2012 – topped by 2013 Range Rover

We take a look at the Top 5 photo galleries viewed on Cars UK during 2012 – a good indicator of the most interesting cars of the year. There have been lots of interesting car news stories on Cars UK during 2012, but are the stories themselves a true indicator of how interested you, dear reader, are in the news that’s happening in the car world, or is it how much additional information you seek out on a story that’s the reality of just how much interest there is? We decided the amount of times a gallery of photos of a new car is viewed is probably more indicative than the story itself, so we’ve dug through our stats to see what floated your boat most in 2012.

Alfa Romeo 4C to spearhead marque's return to the US

Alfa Romeo is coming back to the U.S. this summer, and at next month's New York auto show the company will present the 4C Coupe to the American public. We need to take a step back to point out that even though the Alfa Romeo 8C Competizione was officially sold on our shores in a handful of locations (to a smattering of well-heeled buyers), the automaker's planned return this summer will offer cars for--ahem--a slightly larger audience.