Osculati Chromed Brass Bell Boat Marine 150mm on 2040-parts.com

One Lap of the Web: No school like old school

-- You don't see a Packard-powered hot rod very often, and we have to wonder why. Stuff your Ford flatheads, ditch your boring V8s! Few things in the world are cooler than eight cylinders lined up in unwavering authority, to the tune of 327ci, with a McCullough supercharger feeding four Stromberg 97 carburetors above aluminum heads.

Ferrari to revive GTO name

Ferrari is set to return the evocative GTO (Gran Turismo Omolagato) name to its lineup on a limited-edition, two-seat version of the F599 Fiorano GTB. The new car, conceived to run bodywork and mechanical components from the Italian carmaker's race-bound 599XX, is expected to make its public debut at the Paris motor show in September--marking the first time the GTO badge has been applied to one of Ferrari's road cars since the launch of the much-revered 288 GTO in 1984. Among the changes brought to the new car is a series of carbon-fiber exterior panels, a stripped-out interior and specially developed alloy wheels--all aimed at lowering the weight by 132 pounds from the 3,718 pounds of the F599 Fiorano GTB.

Infiniti demands luxury look for Leaf variant

Infiniti executives are taking pains to ensure that their luxury version of the electric Nissan Leaf hatchback will be markedly different and more upscale. This year, U.S. officials of Infiniti reviewed initial designs at Nissan's San Diego styling studio and complained that they simply looked like another version of the Leaf, say people who were there.