Quick Steer Ball Joint Eqck6445 on 2040-parts.com

Cars & Coffee: Two ingredients to start off your SoCal weekend just right

Cars & Coffee is not yet on the FDA's list of the four basic food groups--but it really should be. It started out as a word-of-mouth gathering of eclectic and cool cars at a spot called Crystal Cove just south of Newport Beach, Calif., but it quickly outgrew that home. “Some of the guys got together, just a spontaneous gathering of, ‘Well, let's bring our cool cars,' ” said Pebble Beach judge, Ferrari collector and well-loved Ford PR guy John Clinard, one of, if not the main driver behind the event.

Cadillac CUE: Intuitive driving in 2012

General Motors' Cadillac division is hoping to lead the way in intuitive multimedia systems, with the launch of its ‘Cadillac User Experience' (CUE) system, which is set to make is official debut at the forthcoming LA auto show. The product of nearly four years research and development, the CUE project began in 2008 when Cadillac designers rode with 32 consumers for six months to study driver habits. The result is a ‘comprehensive in-vehicle experience that mergers intuitive design with auto industry-first controls and commands for information and entertainment data'.

Ford drives the Peel P50 in to the new Transit – and turns it around

The Peel P50 drives in to the new Ford Transit The new Ford Transit offers lots of room for ‘Stuff’, something Ford decided to demonstrate by enlisting the world’s smallest car to demonstrate. It may be simply a take on Jeremy Clarkson’s games with the Peel in and around the BBC Television Centre – and you don’t get John Humphries driving the Peel or Fiona Bruce (and her bottom) pushing it back out – but you do get a good idea of just how big the new Transit is. We’re not entirely sure that turning the Peel around in the Transit – and yes, this Peel is fitted with a reverse gear, unlike Clarkson’s – demonstrates the Transit is any bigger than just driving in and driving out would, but the endless faffing to achieve an about turn is an excuse to use some Benny Hill-esque music to pass the time.