Central Tools 6425a Digital Electronic Caliper on 2040-parts.com

Chevrolet Volt faces toughest test--consumers

Scientists, journalists and a slew of other alleged experts have all weighed in on the 2011 Chevrolet Volt, and now the only verdict that truly matters--the public's--will be rendered. General Motors said 6,348 consumers have taken the extended-range car for a spin during a 12-city “Volt Unplugged Tour,” and not surprisingly, GM's reviewers like it. Still, initial feedback does appear to be truly positive.

2013 Maserati Quattroporte night testing (video)

Maserati has released a video of the 2013 Quattroporte out night testing ahead of a Detroit Auto Show public debut. The new Quattroporte is bigger and more powerful than the current model and leaves Maserati room to introduce a smaller version – the new Maserati Ghibli – to take on the sports saloons from BMW, Mercedes and Jaguar. To be honest, the video tells us little we don’t already know about the new Quattroporte (except perhaps that it has frameless glass in the side windows), but it does indicate how keen Maserati are to keep the new Quattroporte’s PR momentum on the move ahead of its debut.

Concept Car of the Week: Ferrari Pinin (1980)

Over the years, Ferrari has slowly built a reputation for the fact that any car that wears the prancing horse badge on its bonnet ought to be a design masterpiece. Everyone has their own personal favorite: 250 GTO, 250 GT California Spider, 330 P4, Modulo, Daytona, you name it...  Yet few would remember – or even know about – the odd ones, the ugly Ferraris hidden away, rarely allowed to see the light of day; a few rare cars that got brushed under the carpet as quickly as they appeared include the 365 GTC/4, FZ93 Zagato, the 408 Integrale and the Pinin. Most of them are the work of independent studios, long-distanced from Enzo's (dis)approval.