Borg Warner 72c Velvet Drive Marine Gear 2.10:1 on 2040-parts.com

Ford to host Octane Academy for action-sports junkies

Ford is making a push for younger customers with its sponsorship of extreme-sport and action-sport events. Now, the automaker wants to bring that experience to some select average Joes. Beginning in November, Ford will host an action-sports program called Octane Academy.

Porsche 911 GT3 RS (2010) bows in

The 2010 Porsche 911 GT3 RS will be at the Frankfurt Motor Show As you can probably guess, the first thing the latest GT3 RS gets is a hike in power, courtesy of the move from the old naturally aspirated 3.6 litre to the 3.8 litre you get in the new 911 Turbo, minus the turbos. But that still gives you 450bhp – up 15bhp on the regular GT3 – all of which gets shoved through a shorter ratio six-speed manual box. No nancy-boy paddles shifters here.

First Sight: BMW 3 Series

With the 7 Series of 2001, Z4 of 2002, X3, 5 and 6 Series of 2003, and 1 Series earlier this year, the current E46 3 Series is the last (X5 excepted) 'old school' BMW in production. These first official pictures show BMW's fifth generation E90 3 Series which replaces this car and completes the new design strategy for the main series BMW range under Design Director Chris Bangle. Now with a smaller sibling in the range, the 3 Series is no longer BMW's entry level car although it shares much of its platform with the 1 Series and it is expected to continue to account for about half of BMW's total sales.