South Bay Deluxe Beige Marine Boat Reclining Helm Captains Seat (single) on 2040-parts.com

A look at Volvo future products

Volvo wants to derive economies of scale from a new front-wheel-drive architecture called SPA, for Scalable Platform Architecture. The redesigned XC90 crossover due in 2014 will be the first to use the architecture. SPA was designed for a new family of four-cylinder gasoline and diesel engines that Volvo will begin using on existing models next fall.

Fiat 500 Coupe Zagato (2011) at Geneva motor show

Fiat surprised the Geneva audience with a Zagato-bodied variation on the familiar new 500 theme.  Fiat 500 Coupe Zagato: an Italian Mini Coupe rival With Mini branching out in all different directions and Citroen growing its DS brand, it was perhaps inevitable that Fiat would try new things with the 500. It looks strikingly different at first sight, but the Coupe Zagato is based on the existing 500 platform. The differences mainly concern a modified lower roofline, bearing the traditional Zagato double-hump roof contours and rear window/C-pillar treatment.  The standard 500 interior has been retrimmed in black and yellow leather to match the ‘Pop Yellow’ exterior hue.

One Lap of the Web: Green machines, light-up stars and an upside down Porsche

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. To participate in the 24 Hours of LeMons you not only need a sub-$500 car, but you also have to find a gimmick.