Bridgestone Motorcycle 350 Front Wheel Brake Panel on 2040-parts.com

Jesse James brings hydrogen land-speed record back to America

Six years after he got the idea and bought the streamliner, Jesse James has set the world record for hydrogen-powered speed. Late afternoon on June 16, James flew across the windswept dust of El Mirage dry lake bed in the California desert and tripped the lights at 199.712 mph. That was 14 mph faster than the previous record of 185 mph, set in Germany by BMW in its hydrogen-powered H2H.

Who's Where: Chris Chapman appointed as Hyundai Chief Designer

Former BMW designer Chris Chapman has been appointed as Hyundai's Chief Designer, based at its design center in Irvine, California. He will be responsible for both advanced and production design for the Korean brand and replaces Phil Zak, who left the company early in 2011 to return to GM. He will report to SukGeun Oh, Head of Design, Senior Executive Vice President Hyundai Design Center.

One lap of the Web: The 917 song, eating an engine block and Saab sputters back to life?

-- Your author can attest to the aural joy of a properly tuned Porsche flat-six (cooled by air, please), but FlatSixes has posted a video of a 12-cylinder 917K lapping Monza at full-tilt that'll make your mouth water. -- We're all aware of what happens to "end-of-life" vehicles: The crusher or, in many cases, the shredder takes what was once someone's pride and joy and returns it to raw materials. But have you ever seen it happen?