Springfield Marine 3680430 Stainless Steel 30 Inch Springlock Locking Post on 2040-parts.com

Project Car Hell, Air-Cooled Inferno Edition: oval-window Beetle or Type 34 Karmann Ghia?

Here we are in the Automotive Lake of Fire again, and we feel compelled to follow up a couple of marginal-classic Fiat projects with a pair of indisputable classic Volkswagens. After Ferdinand Porsche appropriated the basic design for the original Beetle from Tatra designer Hans Ledwinka (but before Tatra successfully sued Volkswagen), Volkswagen turned one innovative rear-engined vehicle platform into quite a lineup of cars and trucks. These days, while some types of air-cooled VW projects are cheap and plentiful, the rarer ones are much-sought-after and tough to find in semi-restorable condition.

Simeone museum lays out history of competition sports cars

Unlike Europe, with its multimillion-dollar manufacturer-sponsored auto museums, the United States has built its auto museums almost entirely with private money. Traveling around the country, you can find spectacular collections such as the Nethercutt in Sylmar, Calif., small enthusiast-run museums such as the Pierce-Arrow museum in Buffalo and everything in between. There are museums for hearses, microcars, tractors and every conceivable form of transport--including a museum in Ferndale, Calif., for human-powered vehicles.

Mercedes Ener-G-Force: The shape of SUVs to come

The Mercedes Energ-G-Force, which will debut at the Los Angeles auto show, could be the shape of Mercedes SUVs to come--if you like it. “If people really like it and reaction is good then yeah, we might have to think of making it happen in reality,” said designer Huey Lee, who was part of the team that penned the Energ-G-Force at Mercedes' Advanced Design Studio in Carlsbad, Calif. Metalcrafters built the carbon fiber composite roller you see here.