Fuel Filter Sprint Car on 2040-parts.com

The no-show cars: a reader rant on mad concepts

Instigated by Harley Earl at General Motors in the late 30s with the quaintly named Buick Y-Job, show cars, or concept cars, were presented to an excited public eager for new things. As the world recovered from a depression and then a war, these vehicles pointed to a better future that many people believed in, including the people who produced them. And, although many of the concept cars of the 50s, with their Jetsons plexiglass roofs and notional nuclear powered engines seem ludicrous now, in their time they weren’t that cynical.

Can't afford a supercar? Rent one

ALONGSIDE more mainstream offerings such as Fiestas and Astras, rental company Hertz is now offering a taste of the high life across Europe by adding a selection of high performance and luxury cars to its fleet. Arguably the most eye-catching additions are the McLaren 12C and the Ferrari F12 Berlinetta, two cars costing in excess of £175,000 to purchase new and both capable of over 205mph. Other additions to the fleet include the Porsche Cayman sports coupe and the Cayenne SUV, plus luxury cars such as BMW X6 and Range Rover Sport.

Monterey Motorsports Reunion 2013 at Laguna Seca

The air is full of dust and hydrocarbons, the noise is ear-splitting and there are more V8s on the grid than you can shake a con-rod at. It must be the Monterey Motorsports Reunion at Laguna Seca, the most action-packed portion of Pebble Beach and Monterey car week. For three days every August some of the most historic racing cars gather to take to one of the world’s most challenging racing circuits, in the hills above Monterey.