Lighthouse Painting License Plate on 2040-parts.com

Refreshed 2014 Chevrolet Malibu arrives

Just a bit more than a year after launching the 2013 Malibu, Chevrolet took the wraps off its revised 2014 Malibu, saying the car is roomier (1.25 extra inches in the rear seat), more refined and more efficient than the outgoing model. The car gets a fresh face, revised interior, and a new 2.5-liter four standard. The 2.5-liter I-4 is direct injected and has variable valve lift control and start/stop for 196 hp and 186 lb-ft of torque.

German Parts Pillagers Roam the American Southwest, Sending Treasures Home For Future Car Museum

Quite a few older European cars are purchased in rust-free parts of the United States and then shipped back to the home continent, and this process tends to intensify when the Euro gets stronger versus the dollar. While that's going on, crews of European gearheads also roam the wrecking yards of the Southwest, filling shipping containers with parts to ship back home; I know of a trio of Swedes who come to Colorado every year and ship home tons of parts, but they've got nothing on this pair of Germans. These gentlemen fly to the United States four times each year, spending two or three weeks each trip, and send home cars and shipping containers packed with parts, all as part of a scheme to open up a car collection showcasing "cars from the road." They were kind enough to send me a bunch of photos of their most recent trip, so let's see what their enviable lifestyle looks like.

2014 Mercedes-Benz S63 AMG revealed

Mercedes-Benz's AMG performance-car division has officially revealed its new 577-hp S63 AMG ahead of the rapid sedan's public Frankfurt motor show debut in September. Several traditional AMG styling mods distinguish the S63 from recently introduced but lesser S-class models (“S-class Stunner,” Autoweek, May 27). They include a deep new front bumper, chromed blade grille, twin-turbo V8 badges on the side and beefed-up sills.