Holley Carburetor 600 on 2040-parts.com

Cars, planes--and one flying car--at Pacific Coast Dream Machines show

There's a pretty good chance that most car guys are also airplane guys, and vice versa. The organizers of Pacific Coast Dream Machines have known this for the last 20 years. So each April they gather a fine collection of both at the airport at Half Moon Bay, Calif., and open the gates.

McLaren MP4-12 650S hits the Web ahead of official Geneva reveal

Images of the new McLaren MP4-12 650S have leaked to the Internet ahead of a planned unveiling for the British supercar at the Geneva Motor Show in early March. Created in response to customer demand for an edgier version of the McLaren MP4-12C offering greater levels of driver engagement, the 650S runs a more heavily tuned version of McLaren's twin-turbocharged 3.8-liter V8 direct-injection engine producing a claimed 25 hp more than the variant used by standard sibling for a total of 641 hp (as its name suggests 650 ps -- metric hp). Further details remain scarce ahead of the MP4-12C 650S's official public unveiling in Switzerland two weeks from now, although information passed on to prospective customers at a private presentation of the new two-seater held last week suggest it is also in line to receive a series of modifications to its seven-speed dual clutch gearbox, suspension, steering, brakes and aerodynamics -- all aimed at providing it with a more aggressive nature and added racetrack ability.

Ford improves top design on its 2015 Mustang convertible

Ford revealed details on its forthcoming 2015 Mustang convertible, whose top features several highly welcome improvements over the outgoing model’s, making it quieter, more compact and easier to operate. Though Ford continues to call the cloth top a two-layer design, it now sports a 10-mm thick cushion between the twill covering and the headliner layer, serving as both insulation and sound deadening. Ford says with the top up, the cabin is almost as quiet as the coupe’s on the road.