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

Apple Carplay vs Android: the smartphone hits the road

By Damion Smy Motor Industry 11 June 2014 07:18 The days of frustrating in-car interfaces and clunky touchscreens are ending, as computing giants Apple and Google start unleashing the full power of smartphone technology in your car.  Apple has fired the opening salvo in the war on wheels with its ‘CarPlay’ system launched at the 2014 Geneva Motor Show and offered by Ferrari, Mercedes and Volvo, and at least 15 other car brands. If you own an iPhone, you’ll find CarPlay natural and intuitive – it’s this type of familiarity that car companies and Apple are banking on to win you over. Cars have been able to play your iTunes library and read texts for a while, but CarPlay takes this functionality to a whole new level.

Mazda6

The second generation of the Mazda6 doesn't stray far from the successful look of the outgoing model.  Though slightly longer, wider and taller than the model it replaces, its styling cues still clearly define the car as a 6. Offered in sedan, hatchback and wagon versions in Europe, the new Mazda6 sedan features a flowing roofline that is steeper at the C-pillar and a sculptured rear end.

Vintage cars cross the auction block at Meadow Brook

An impressive array of gleaming classics crossed the block on Saturday at RM Auctions' Vintage Cars of Meadow Brook sale in a white linen event that showcased the grandeur and glamor of automaking in the Motor City in the early part of the Twentieth Century. The 16 annual auction, held on the eve of the Concours of America at Meadow Brook, is located about a half an hour north of Detroit on the grounds of a mansion where the widow of auto pioneer John Dodge one lived. Unlike the other RM auction, held in an convention hall on the other side of town in the spring, the Meadow Brook event carries an austere demeanor, and the automobiles roll with a similar vibe.