Fel-pro 26415 Pt Head Gasket-engine Cylinder Head Gasket on 2040-parts.com

Brabus unveils 850-hp grocery getter

It wouldn't be the Essen Motor Show without German tuning house Brabus introducing its own versions of one or two of Mercedes-Benz cars, with borderline-unbelievable power figures. And this year the Bottrop-based outfit didn't disappoint, rolling out the Brabus 850 6.0 Biturbo based on the 2014 E63 AMG station wagon. For starters, Brabus has increased the V8 engine's displacement from 5,461cc to 5,912cc, installing custom-made forged pistons and a precision balanced billet crankshaft, and replacing the stock turbos with ones of their own design featuring larger compressor units.

Fiat 500byGucci. Yep, another ‘Special’ Fiat 500

Fiat 500byGucci - legs by Natasha Poly Somewhere along the way both Fiat and MINI decided that the ultimate marketing tool for their trendy, retro-inspired superminis was an endless stream of variations and special editions. And it’s worked. So it’s no surprise then that we’ve got another new Fiat 500 to add to the list of special edition Fiat 500s, this time it’s linking to an iconic design brand with the Fiat 500byGucci (and that’s Fiat’s joined-up ’500 by Gucci’, not our fat fingers on the keyboard).

Avoiding the California Highway Patrol on the Autoweek America Adventure

"Damn revenuers," said Tommy Kendall. "They are draped all along the side of the road." He spoke, of course, about the California Highway Patrol, whose strategically positioned cars--and subsequent laser-detection devices and KA-band radar--were lighting up this two-lane south of Klamath Falls, Ore., less than two miles inside the state line. It's a fact of economics, especially in California, a state that's running out of money faster than Greece.