Standard Motor Products V494 Pcv Valve on 2040-parts.com

Carbon-fiber parts and a software fix help create a lighter, faster Fiat

Chrysler Group's Mopar parts brand and Italian supplier Magneti Marelli have teamed up on a design exercise based on the 2012 Fiat 500 Abarth that shaved weight and added horsepower. The vehicle, called the Venom, has a number of carbon fiber components -- hood and side mirrors, for example -- that makes it about 200 pounds lighter than the 2,512-pound Abarth. The Venom uses software updates and additional exhaust components to boost the Abarth's standard 160-hp 1.4-liter turbocharged engine's output by as much as 25 percent.

Tuner MTM debuts 722 hp Audi RS6 Avant

It seems a minor horsepower war has just erupted over in Germany, and the title at stake in this conflict is which tuning house can build the most powerful Audi RS6 Avant. Not that long ago ABT Sportsline unveiled a 700 hp Audi RS6 Avant, an absolutely rabid grocery-getter that can make the sprint to 60 in just 3.4 seconds. ABT's RS6 Avant packs 25 percent more power than the stock version of the RS6 Avant, which made an already hair-raising 560 hp.

UK drivers fear 'black box' tech in cars

EUROPEAN UNION plans to install ‘black box’ technology in all new cars from 2015 have met with an overwhelming ‘no’ from UK drivers. The EU regulations will see e-Call fitted to all new cars sold from November 2015. The e-Call technology automatically contacts the emergency services in the event of a collision and could save 2500 lives on the roads of Europe every year.