Chevy S10 Extreme 4.3 V6 Vortec Ext Cab on 2040-parts.com

Pace cadets: At AMG academy, students take their finals with their right feet

Mercedes-Benz USA launched the AMG Challenge in 2002, a program touted as "a chance to experience the thrill of driving the newest Mercedes AMGs on some of America's best racetracks." This year, MBUSA abandoned the Challenge in favor of the AMG Driving Academy, a multistage driver-development program pioneered by AMG in Europe. The difference? According to Greg Clark, AMG manager, "the Challenge was more about the cars, while the Academy is more about the driver." Having participated in both the Challenge and now the Academy, we'd say that difference is subtle, at least as it applies to the one-day program.

Ford preparing fastest ever four-door—in Australia

Ford's struggling Australian outpost is set to unleash its fastest-accelerating car yet in the form of a limited- edition version of the four-door Falcon GT Boss 335 sedan running various chassis-based performance enhancements, according to Australian media reports. Known internally at the company's Ford Performance Vehicles division under the code name Panther, the Blue Oval's supersedan is set to run the same supercharged 5.0-liter V8 as the standard Falcon GT Boss 335—itself a locally developed version of the Mustang's 90-degree Coyote unit with unique cylinder heads and renamed Miami. It delivers 449 hp at 5,750 rpm and 420 lb-ft of torque at 2,200 rpm.

Peugeot 308 GT arrives as Hatch & Estate (SW)

The Peugeot 308 gets a warm makeover with the arrival of the 308 GT The new Peugeot 308 started arriving in the UK at the start of 2014, but the choices didn’t include a hot, or even a warm, version for those who want a bit more get up and go in their family hatchback. So the arrival of the new Peugeot 308 GT – as a hatchback or estate (SW) – is welcome, even if the 308 GT comes in the ‘warm’ rather than ‘hot’ category. We’ll have to wait for a 308 GTi or a production version of the Peugeot 308 R for proper get up and go.