One Lap of the Web: The Markchurian Candidate

-- When does a cartoonist become a short-track racer? When he's Bob Englehart of the Hartford Courant, and he writes a book about his childhood in and around Indiana, a childhood spent fixated on oval racers. Englehart, a Pulitzer Prize finalist for his political cartooning, explores why America's youth are willing to risk their lives to drive in circles -- and why he himself is so addicted to it.

New BMW 4-Series shows its sporty side with M Performance add-ons

The BMW 4 Series M Performance Parts have been revealed (pictured) The new BMW 4-Series Coupe may not have arrived in BMW showrooms yet, but that hasn’t stopped BMW showcasing how you can spend extra money on your new 4-Series with a range of M Performance accessories. So when you do go and spec up your new 4-Series you’ll also be able to tick some of the boxes on the M Performance Accessories list for your dealer to fit when your car arrives for delivery and (almost) turn it in to an imitation M4 Coupe if you wish. Probably the biggest seller will be the showy stuff, like the M-Performance body kit which adds a lower front bumper with carbon fibre splitter and bigger air intakes, bigger sills, new back bumper with diffuser and ducts, carbon fibre spoiler at the back, dark chrome trim and carbon fibre door mirror caps.

Detroit brands top Asian, European rivals in study of most appealing models

Owner delight with import vehicles is falling, and Detroit 3 brands are more appealing than European and Asian rivals for the first time in 13 years, according to a study measuring owner enthusiasm and satisfaction. The biggest improvement in owner appeal was made by high-performance models from Ford Motor Co. and General Motors Co., J.D.