Brake Hydraulic Hose Rear Center Dorman H86506 on 2040-parts.com

One Lap of the Web: Mock the Week Edition

-- Mazda Europe designer Peter Birthwhistle talks about the future of Mazda: potential hybrid and electric powertrains for the Skyactiv-obsessed company, and how we'll all be driving Mazda-branded pods in the 22nd century. But he also mentions, rather interestingly, how certain Mazdas capture a quintessentially long-hood, RWD look -- and not just the Miata, either, which is RWD. No, it's the exhaust systems on those Skyactiv engines that force a longer, larger hood compartment, and the "long, flowing looks" not usually found on FWD engines.

One lap of the Web: Millennials, espionage and vintage racing

We spend a lot of time on the Internet -- pretty much whenever we're not driving, writing about or working on cars. Since there's more out there than we'd ever be able to cover, here's our daily digest of car stuff on the Web you may not otherwise have heard about. -- Talkin' 'bout my generation.

Porsche Panamera diesel owners can boost the fun with TechArt power upgrade

The German Porsche tuning haus TechArt revealed a power-upgrade kit for the Porsche Panamera diesel. While the 30-hp bump from the stock 250 horses to 280 won't light the world on fire, the 37-lb-ft jump in torque, from 405 lb-ft to 442 lb-ft, is sure to be a kick in the pants. The 0-to-60-mph time drops by 0.1 second from stock to 6.6 seconds, but the top end is up 3 mph to 153 mph.