Corvette Oil Pressure Line Elbow, Big Block, 1969-1973 on 2040-parts.com

MINI JCW Roadster rides the ‘Ring

MINI JCW Roadster pounding the Nurburgring Now we’ve got the MINI Coupe out in the open, with and without its swirly black and white camouflage, it must be close to MINI doing the same with the Roadster. Which is probably why we have spy photos of the MINI JCW Roadster pounding round the Nurburgring – last shakedowns, we assume. Because we can’t imagine MINI dragging out the reveal of the production model Roadster much past Frankfurt – if it takes that long – which will be a full two years on from when MINI first revealed the 2-seater MINI Roadster – the soft top twin of the MINI Coupe.

GMC Granite concept (w/ Video)

The biggest surprise at the 2010 NAIAS was GMC's Granite concept - a design that expands (or rather contracts) the truck/crossover brand's 'professional grade' philosophy to a compact hatchback aimed at urban hipsters and early adopters. Conceived by Frank Saucedo's Advanced Design team in California and then built at GM's Design Center in Detroit, the Granite combines the basic proportions of the Nissan Cube and Scion xB with a military/industrial feel inspired by the current G-Star and Diesel fashion lines. Watch the videos to the left to see the young international design team present the rationale behind the new concept, and read our opinion of the Granite in our 2010 Detroit Auto Show Highlights.

2014 Nissan Versa priced at $12,780

The 2014 Nissan Versa with a five-speed manual transmission -- at dealerships today -- will set you back $12,780, including $790 for destination. Stepping down to a four-cog automatic will cost a grand more. For that price -- the lowest in America, by the way, more on that later -- buyers get a 1.6-liter DOHC four-cylinder engine, available air conditioning, six-way adjustable driver's seat, and a radio with an auxiliary input.