Dorman 697-706 Differential Cover on 2040-parts.com

New Mercedes-Benz S-class spotted in SoCal

The new Mercedes-Benz S-class must be hustling toward the developmental-cycle finish line, because it's been spotted en masse in places such as Toronto (where it must be undergoing cold-weather testing) and Irvine, Calif. (where it must be gauging the interest of Benz-crazy vox populi). Because as devoid as it is of bodywork-breaking pillboxes, camera-obfuscating swirl paint, and surly engineers, the fact that it's seen here in little more than some sticky paper and a pair of cheap sunglasses on the driver means that the elder statesman of the automotive world is readying its next debut.

Concept Car of the Week: AMC AMX/2 (1969)

Like Detroit's Big Three, AMC rapidly understood the importance of the youth market after the success of the Ford Mustang. In the late 60s, the design team produced a series of "Think Young" concept cars to reach the younger audience as well as exciting new showroom offerings like the Mustang-inspired Javelin, the two-seater AMX and the Rambler. Presented at the 1969 Chicago auto show, the second opus of the American Motors Experimental series, the AMX/2 was not just AMC's most daring concept car ever, but one of Detroit's first acknowledgments that the future of high-performance sports cars would be mid-engined.

Ford gets the 1965 Mustang ready for the racetrack

When a pair of 1965 Ford Mustangs served as pace cars for the 1964 Indianapolis 500, the car -- which had made its debut just a few weeks before -- was kicking off an exciting motorsports career that continues to this day. In the April 25, 1964, issue of Competition Press and Autoweek, we shared news (relayed to us by none other than Lee Iacocca) of the Mustang's racing ambitions. At the time, the competition schedule included the Midnight Sun road rally in Sweden, the Alpine rally in France and Spa-Sofia-Liege rally, which ran between Belgium and Yugoslavia.