Holley 850 Cfm Marine Carburetor on 2040-parts.com

Mercedes-Benz introduces nine-speed automatic gearbox

Mercedes-Benz has quietly slipped a new nine-speed automatic into its lineup as standard equipment on the European market E350 BlueTec. The new in-house produced unit, known internally under the name 9G-Tronic, has long been slated for selected Mercedes-Benz models. However, its existence was officially denied until the weekend, when Mercedes-Benz's German language website configurator went live with various updates for the E-class lineup -- including an entry signaling the 9G-Tronic is now available on the standard rear-wheel drive E350 BlueTec in place of the older seven-speed.

Ford C-Max Hybrids at Detroit

Ford C-Max Hybrid & C-Max Energi revealed in Detroit Ford are starting to roll out their ‘Eco’ future at the Detroit Motor Show, and first to get the wraps off are a pair of C-Max Hybrids – the Ford C-Max Energi and the Ford C- Max Hybrid. And in case you  haven’t guessed already, one is a plug-in, the other isn’t. Does that sound like a Prius?

Top Gear Tonight: Alfa Romeo 4C, McLaren P1, Camp Bastion & SIARPC is Tom Hiddleston

Top Gear tonight sees Richard Hammond in the Alfa 4C Tonight sees the second episode of Top Gear’s 21st series, which sounds to be a lot more interesting than the less than captivating first episode of the new series last week. Richard Hammond gets to go and play on the shores of Lake Como in Italy with a car we expect he’ll like very much – the new Alfa Romeo 4C. Lots of twisty roads and a small but powerful 2-seater Alfa Romeo sound like a recipe for fun, but this is Top Gear so there’s a twist – Clarkson turns up to challenge Hammond in his 4C to a race with Clarkson on a quad bike.