Ray Jefferson Pl-99 Hand-held Portable Loran C W/home Key Boating Flying on 2040-parts.com

Demise of kei cars on the horizon?

The kei car has long been a staple of the Japanese automobile industry and its car culture. Too diminutive for Western markets, the tiny cars and trucks are a strong influencer of design in Japan. Now, as The New York Times reports, the Japanese government has hit kei cars with increases in sales tax, gasoline prices and has reduced the kei car tax break introduced to make the cars popular in the first place by 50 percent.

New Lancia Stratos – the Video

The old and the new - Lancia Stratos, that is. We had lots of internet hoo-haa and speculation this summer that we were about to get the rebirth of the iconic Lancia Stratos, which we struggled to swallow. Even when we managed to grab a photo of the new Lancia Stratos out testing, we weren’t convinced this was a secret Fiat plan to revive the Stratos.

Renault is reviving the Gordini name for high-performance models

They don't sell Renaults in the United States anymore, but it's worth noting that the French automaker is reviving the Gordini name for high-performance versions of the Twingo and the Clio. The name pays homage to Amedee Gordini, a mechanical whiz known as "the sorcerer" for taking production-car engines and making them competitive on the great racetracks of Europe. The Gordini versions of the Twingo and the Clio will wear the trademark light blue paint with a pair of white stripes running from nose to tail and centered over the driver.