Maserati Driver Side Air Bag Assetto Corsa 3200 Gt 4200 Coupe Spyder Brand New on 2040-parts.com

One Lap of the Web: KERS, Klass and autonomous cars

We spend a lot of time on the Internet -- pretty much whenever we're not driving, writing about or working on cars. Since there's more out there than we'd ever be able to cover, here's our daily digest of car stuff on the Web you may not otherwise have heard about. -- KERS, the kinetic-energy-recovery system, was first seen in Formula One a few years back.

Minicars perform poorly in crash tests, study says

Minicars made by Toyota, Honda and Daimler AG did poorly on frontal crash tests with mid-sized automobiles, prompting an influential safety organization to suggest consumers consider buying larger cars that have comparable fuel economy. The Toyota Yaris, Honda Fit and Smart ForTwo all collapsed upon impact into the space around the driver dummy, according to the study released today by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. Drivers in all three vehicles faced high risk of head and leg injuries after test collisions at 40 miles an hour, even after airbags inflated, said the non-profit group funded by auto insurers.

Paint your nails with Ford Mustang colors!

When the Ford Mustang came out in 1964, some dared deride it as a "secretary's car," as if just happening upon the discovery that women might -- for some reason, who knows, the harried dames -- enjoy driving automobiles as well. What a concept. Fifty years later, Ford seems to be making the same discovery all over again.