Mopar 440 Fan Shroud on 2040-parts.com

General Motors adds center-mounted airbag to its large crossovers

General Motors will equip the 2013 models of its large crossovers--the Chevrolet Traverse, the Buick Enclave and the GMC Acadia--with a center-mounted airbag that protects front-seat passengers in side impacts. The airbag, developed by GM and safety-system supplier Takata, is mounted on the inboard side of the driver's-seat backrest. GM says the airbag helps restrain and protect the driver in the event of a crash on the passenger side of the vehicle when the front passenger seat is empty.

Visionary tech

Ignore the marketers: There's nothing new under the technological sun. Cost and reliability concerns may have hindered the early adoption of these auto-tech breakthroughs, though you'd never know it based on their present-day ubiquity. 1941: Crossovers The combination of a fully enclosed, carlike body and all-wheel-drive underpinnings got its start with the Volkswagen Type 87 Kommandeurwagen.

Mercedes and Daimler crush 300SL Gullwing imposter

Mercedes-Benz Classic recently destroyed an ersatz 300 SL after the body was seized by German customs officials. The case began when a German company built a fiberglass copy of the Gullwing's body. According to a court ruling, the shape remains under copyright protection just as it did upon its introduction in the 1950s.