Carter P74875s Fuel Pump Hanger Assembly on 2040-parts.com

The scramble for scarce tires

North American automakers are struggling with a nagging shortage of tires, caused in part by tire plant closings and rising demand for low-volume specialty tires. Automakers are paying much higher prices -- double-digit percentage increases from a year ago -- as tire makers gain pricing power. "We have been bombarded from every side for additional tires, and we can't keep up," said David O'Donnell, Continental Tire's vice president of original equipment in the Americas.

Ford Pinto caravan heads cross-country to celebrate the model's 40th birthday

As proof that there's a group of enthusiasts for just about everything, owners of the lowly Ford Pinto are taking to the roads in celebration of the car's 40th birthday. Pinto owners are driving from Denver to the Carlisle Ford Nationals in Pennsylvania this week, a journey of approximately 1,600 miles. Leading the caravan are Norman and Louise Bagi in their 1976 Pinto Runabout and 1977 Pinto coupe, respectively.

One Lap of the Web: Car stuff you may have missed

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. -- Speedhunters brings us a gorgeous photo essay of cars on the N