Monroe 901921 Front Strut-mate Mounting Kit on 2040-parts.com

One Lap of the Web: Brazilian Volkswagens and unnecessary Volkswagens

-- Ever seen a Volkswagen SP2? It's a Brazil-only model made between 1972 and 1976 because, at the time, the Brazilian market was closed to imports. Just over 10,000 examples were made, and some have made their way to the U.S.

Ferrari Enzo successor to make 920 hp

About a decade and a half after Porsche eschewed its lightness-and-small-displacement strategy and built a five-liter sports racer to take down Ferrari at Le Mans, a different sort of war kicked off between the two marques: a battle for supremacy in the super-supercar market. In 1984, Ferrari built a radically modified twin-turbo 308 GTB with an eye toward Group B road-racing rules. Porsche countered the resultant 288 GTO with the mighty 959, which launched at about the same time as the 288's successor, the practically skeletal and infinitely loopier F40.

Toyota's quake-hit Yaris plant offline for at least another month

Toyota's quake-hammered Miyagi assembly plant, which makes the Yaris small car for export to the United States, is expected to be offline for at least another month. Workers have completed repairs at the factory and restored electricity, but the facility cannot get supplies of natural gas, a person familiar with the situation said. The assessment underscores the long road facing Toyota and other Japanese automakers in bringing plants back into full operation following the deadly quake, which killed more than 11,000 people, ruptured gas lines, shutdown electric grids and snarled logistics across half the country.