Sti Yfz/raptor/banshee Alloy Rims on 2040-parts.com

New techniques cut cost of carbon fiber

Carbon fiber, once so costly that it was the preferred material only for fighter planes and supercars, is catching the attention of weight-conscious automakers. Carbon fiber's cost is falling dramatically, thanks to production advances that let suppliers speed the material's finicky, and costly, curing process. One technological breakthrough that makes carbon-fiber auto parts more affordable may come from a process used to make carbon-fiber golf clubs.

Tesla to supply Smart City Car Electrics

Tesla didn’t make much of a splash at the Detroit Motor Show – at first. But it announced, as we reported, the launch of its Tesla Roadster S, and that it is to produce a saloon car as well. But it goes much further than that.

One Lap of the Web: Moby Dick, mass transit failures, and the return of the Ford Rotunda

-- The Porsche 935/78 race car, perhaps better known as Moby Dick, looks a bit like a typical 911 that someone heated up until it was pliable and then slowly, carefully stretched until its nose and tail were elongated past the point of absurdity. And then someone else came along and stuck a giant wing on the back. But it is a real car, and Speedhunters has proof in the form of a photo essay.