Dorman 600-506 4 Wheel Drive Switch on 2040-parts.com

Why Steve McQueen canceled a $3 million life insurance policy

Spurred by the story of our ride in Steve McQueen's Jaguar XKSS, Richard Haight felt inclined to chime in with the fact that he not only raced motorcycles with (and against) McQueen, but knew him all the way until the King of Cool's death. Haight raced motorcycles on and off for 50 years. McQueen would come and race at the local American Motorcycle Association District 37, usually entering under assumed names like "Harvey Mushman" to enjoy some semblance of normality.

Ford agrees to sell Aston Martin

Ford Motor Company announced this week it has entered into a definitive agreement to sell Aston Martin, its prestigious UK sports car business. The new owner of Aston Martin is a consortium comprised of: David Richards, founder and chairman of Prodrive, a world-leading motorsport and automotive technology company; John Sinders, an avid Aston Martin collector and a backer of Aston Martin Racing; and Investment Dar and Adeem Investment Co, international investment companies headquartered in Kuwait. The sale is expected to close during the second quarter and the transaction values Aston Martin at GBP 479 million ($925 million). As part of the transaction, Ford will retain a GBP 40 million ($77 million) investment in Aston Martin.

Pick up a twelver for the tired cat, wouldya?

The timeworn solution to quelling the finicky (read “expensive to repair”) Jaguar V12 has been to swap the British unit with that eight-pot testament to midcentury American ingenuity, the Chevrolet small block. We've seen an '80s-era L98 in a Lamborghini Espada. We've borne witness '90's-era LT1s in all manner of things.