Icon Brawnson Sidewinder Textile Motorcycle Jacket Orange Xl/x-large on 2040-parts.com

Rolls-Royce Ghost V-Specification dialed up to 593-hp

Just before a refreshed Rolls-Royce Ghost debuts at the Geneva Motor Show in March, the British automaker has rolled out a performance edition of its "entry level" sedan with 593-hp underhood. The standard Ghost sedan wasn't exactly short on power until the announcement of the V-Specification version -- the company's 6.6-liter twin-turbocharged V12 engine produces 563-hp and 575 lb-ft of stump-pulling torque in standard form. Yes, gone are the days when Rolls-Royce declined to disclose exact power figures and simply listed their powerplants' output as "adequate." Now Rolls-Royce is forced to compete in this cutthroat market with its performance stats, it seems.

GM spending $336 million on plant upgrades for Volt production

General Motors on Monday said it would spend $336 million on upgrades to the Hamtramck plant near downtown Detroit to build the Chevrolet Volt hybrid car. The plant will begin building Volt prototypes next spring, using the Hamtramck plant's existing production line. Production of saleable vehicles begins next fall.

Brighton Speed Trials under threat

Nearly 8,000 people have signed a petition to see the Brighton Speed Trials return in 2014. The event, which dates back to 1905, was cancelled last year while an inquest determined the cause of a fatal motorbike crash that occurred in 2012. Now organisers are urging the local council to give them permission to return to the Speed Trials to Brighton’s Madeira Drive this summer.