B&m Pro Ratchet Shifter P/n 80842 on 2040-parts.com

Ford Fiesta (2011) US Spec leaks

Pitures of what appears to be the 2011 US Spec Fiesta have leaked ahead of launch Ford have played a long game with the introduction to the US market of Europe’s favourite small car – the Ford Fiesta. They’ve run a very savvy social media campaign and had a whole heap of Fiestas running round the US in the hands of bloggers and other social media types – The Fiesta Movement – to get coverage for the Fiesta ahead of its launch at the LA Auto Show this week. But it looks like Ford in Canada have jumped the gun this afternoon and let loose pictures of the US spec Fiesta before its official reveal.

Crash injuries force Franchitti to retire

SCOTTISH RACING STAR Dario Franchitti has been forced to retire after suffering a number of injuries in a high-speed crash during a race in the US last month. The four-time IndyCar series winner spent five days in hospital after suffering concussion, a fractured vertebrae and a broken ankle in the last-lap crash at the Grand Prix of Houston in Texas. Franchitti, originally from Bathgate, West Lothian, said he had taken the decision based on medical advice.

Ariel Atom 700 is a turbo-supercharged 700-hp track weapon

If you're willing to ditch sleek supercar looks and just about every automotive creature comfort in the pursuit of pure performance, you might consider the Ariel Atom 3. Powered by a 2.4-liter Honda I4 engine cradled in an exoskeletonlike frame, the Atom 3 boasts a 0-to-60-mph time of just 2.9 seconds But maybe those performance numbers just aren't enough for you. If so, Piedmont, S.C.-based DDMWorks might have a solution.