Honda Xr650l Front Brake Caliper Xr 650l 650 L 2002 on 2040-parts.com

Bob Bondurant at 80

Last fall, as we waited for our turn to partake in a braking drill at Bob Bondurant's driving school in Arizona, a black Cadillac CTS-V coupe came screaming out of the facility's parking area and onto the tarmac where we sat. The driver hustled the big two-door around a tight autocross course at a startling pace, though he likely would have been faster had he avoided some of the smoky, sideways stuff. Our instructor, Johnny O'Connell, grinned, “I guess it's good to be the boss.” Bondurant -- who turns 80 on Saturday -- started racing an Indian motorcycle as a teenager.

Show Preview: Frankfurt motor show 2011

The biannual Internationale Automobil-Ausstellung, or the Frankfurt motor show, is again due to take place this September, swapping places with its sister show in Paris. One of the world's largest motor shows – certainly physically – the IAA is held at Frankfurt's Messe complex, and in recent years has been themed, with the last event in 2009 carrying the theme of ‘electrification', with virtually every manufacturer revealing a vehicle using the latest battery technology. Fittingly, the most notable unveil at that show was the BMW Vision Efficient Dynamics Concept, which was easily the most innovative and original car of 2009.

SEAT Altea XL

Two years after the Seat Altea hatchback was launched comes the extended XL version, which effectively becomes a mini-MPV thanks to a 187mm increase in length. This of course benefits the interior most, the trunk growing from 409 liters to 635 with the rear bench pushed forward - though is conspicuously without the extra row of seats offered by rivals. Outside, changes are most noticeable at the rear where the styling theme has been softened to reflect the car's renewed family-focus.