Omc 0377014 T377014 Test Prop, Pin Drive Vintage on 2040-parts.com

Old is new again: Will a floor-hinged throttle pedal be in your future?

If you think that every little nut, bolt, switch, gear or widget in your new car wasn't scrutinized by a team of highly educated, overworked car geeks (read: engineers), think again. A couple of recent conversations with automotive engineers confirmed that virtually nothing that goes into a car today is taken for granted. During the recent Pebble Beach weekend, I had the pleasure of spending time with an engineer for Jaguar, and the subject turned to materials used for various switches in the cabin.

Ford Mondeo Vignale Concept at the 2013 Frankfurt Motor Show

With the marques in its erstwhile premium brand portfolio having moved on to pastures (and owners) new, Ford looks a little lacking in the options when it comes to challenging at the plusher end of the global car market. Vignale is the Blue Oval’s response. “A unique upscale product and ownership experience” is how Ford was selling Vignale as the covers came off the Mondeo Vignale Concept car at Frankfurt 2013.

Campaign to tackle used car faults

A NEW INITIATIVE by the Trading Standards Institute (TSI) to help the public avoid the dangers of buying a used car has been launched. It comes after research by the TSI that shows a half of all used cars show up with a fault within a month of being bought by a new owner. In the past 12 months, the TSI has received 84,000 complaints about used cars.