New Lexus Rx350 Oe Logo L Chrome Front Grille Emblem Grill 08 09 10 on 2040-parts.com

Motorbikes 'surprise' car drivers

MOST CAR drivers are "caught by surprise" by the sudden appearance of motorbikes, according to a survey of more than 21,000 AA members. But as many as 40% of drivers reckon motorcyclists are inconsiderate, with London bikers appearing to be the least courteous. The AA/Populus survey showed that 57% of car drivers were often surprised when a motorcycle appeared from nowhere.

Video: Fiat creates café racer 500 for SEMA

Fiat is preparing a café racer-style 500 for this week's SEMA show by stripping down an Abarth version to take it "down to the essence of what you need to drive a car." The café racer philosophy of ‘more speed, less comfort' was born around the 1960s British 'biker scene and while initially focussed on increasing performance, quickly developed into a culture as concered with 'the show' as 'the go'. "It takes something like this to really get noticed at SEMA," says Craig Buoncompago, Project Manager at Fiat Product Design. "The Café Racer is really going to be one special car that you guys should really come and see." The 500's roof has been chopped, while also shorn of its door handles and being fitted with hot rod billet rims.

One Lap of the Web: Humvees, abandoned Ferraris and a Volvo collection

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. -- Auto Blog drives a military Humvee that's fully armored for duty in combat zones, weighing in at 14,400 pounds.