Jeepster Commando Front Axle Spring Plate on 2040-parts.com

Volkswagen updates Scirocco

Volkswagen has revealed an upgraded Scirocco, which will make its world premiere at the Geneva motor show in early March. Among the changes to Wolfsburg’s 6-year-old coupe are some subtle exterior changes, higher quality interior, and new four-cylinder engines, including a 276-hp version of Volkswagen’s EA888 turbocharged 2.0-liter in the new top-of-the-range Scirocco R. Other engines include a 1.4-liter, 123-hp four and a 2.0-liter producing 177 hp, 217 hp or 276 hp.

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.

Yearly driving costs rise 3.4 percent

This won't be a surprise to anyone--it's costing more to own and drive a car. Higher prices for fuel and tires, and a larger drop in the resale value of cars, pushed the average cost of owning a sedan to $8,776 a year, according to AAA of Heathrow, Fla. That's up 3.4 percent from a year ago.