Jbl R4500 Am\fm Multi Zone Stereo on 2040-parts.com

1975 JC Whitney catalog: A bonanza of aftermarket Volkswagen goodies

Back before there was the Internet, or even big car-parts chain stores, there was the JC Whitney catalog. Printed on cheap, pulpy paper and featuring tens of thousands of tiny, hand-drawn illustrations, these thick books gave me many hours of enjoyment in the early 1980s, as I fantasized about how I'd modify my incredibly sketchy and hooptified '58 Beetle. Now I've picked up a 1975 JC Whitney catalog, and the Volkswagen section is even better than I remembered!

Honda Civic concept

Detroit saw Honda debut two variants of its next generation Civic. Set to make their debuts in the North American market in the spring, the cars sport tighter, more aggressive styling with 'clean-yet-powerful' lines, according to the Japanese automaker. Taking inspiration from its sibling, the Accord Coupe, the Civic Coupe will retain the familiar silhouette of the outgoing model, with a refreshed bumper treatment and more aggressive character lines around the car.

GM preps for new engines, 8-speed transmission

General Motors is spending $332 million to upgrade powertrain plants in three states to build a new eight-speed automatic transmission, a new V6 and a new family of small-displacement gasoline engines. The plants are in Indiana, Michigan and Ohio. GM is also adding $46 million to an earlier $600 million program to upgrade powertrain plants in Saginaw and Romulus, Mich.