Thommen Airspeed Indicator 5c16.32.35k.05.1.al on 2040-parts.com

Silverstone: the defining moments from 50 British grand prixs

By Tom Clarkson Motoring Issues 03 July 2014 11:00 1948 Silverstone’s transformation from a World War II bomber station into a race circuit began in August 1948, when the Royal Automobile Club took out a one-year lease on RAF Silverstone. Under the stewardship of local farmer James Wilson Brown, the RAC International Grand Prix was staged on 2 October, using similar regulations to those that shaped pre-war grand prix racing. The track layout comprised the airbase’s perimeter roads, with straw bales and ropes protecting the piggery and the crops in the middle of the circuit.

Honda goes social with the Sounds of Civic songwriting contest

It seems all automakers are tapping the social-media networks these days. From the Ford Mustang Mayhem package to the Toyota Prius plural campaign, conventional wisdom is there's nothing a few thousand Facebook fans can't handle. The latest automaker to hop the train is Honda, which is sponsoring a creative songwriting competition called the Sounds of Civic to mark the debut of the 2012 Honda Civic.

Keep Cruisin', Marv Spector

For the last 30 years or so, you could belly up to the service counter at Specter Off Road in scorching Chatsworth, Calif., deep in the Valley, underneath the red-and-white arrow that stretches the length of the squat stucco building. You'd first have to stroll past the long and dark row of dizzying Toyota Land Cruisers -- Japanese fire trucks, FJ60s with roof-mounted machine guns and a propane-powered 1973 Baja 1000 champion. Past the glass cases of old photos and model kits and RC cars from Japan.