Toyota Mark Ii 2003 Rear Left Lower Arm [3151840] on 2040-parts.com

Porsche chief Wendelin Wiedeking resigns

Porsche chairman Wendelin Wiedeking has bowed to mounting pressure in announcing that he will step down immediately. The resignation came Thursday, following a surprise meeting of the company's supervisory board at its Weissach R&D headquarters outside of Stuttgart, Germany, on Wednesday night. Wiedeking's announcement comes after months of tense and public infighting following Porsche's failed attempt to wrest control of Volkswagen, which left it with $12.7 billion in debt, and slowing sales in key markets such as North America.

Show Preview: Frankfurt motor show 2011

The biannual Internationale Automobil-Ausstellung, or the Frankfurt motor show, is again due to take place this September, swapping places with its sister show in Paris. One of the world's largest motor shows – certainly physically – the IAA is held at Frankfurt's Messe complex, and in recent years has been themed, with the last event in 2009 carrying the theme of ‘electrification', with virtually every manufacturer revealing a vehicle using the latest battery technology. Fittingly, the most notable unveil at that show was the BMW Vision Efficient Dynamics Concept, which was easily the most innovative and original car of 2009.

SoCal Speed shop wins AMBR award as hod-rodding returns to its roots

In a competition that "took hot-rodding back to its SoCal roots," the SoCal Speed Shop--the entity founded by original hot-rod hero Alex Xydias and now helmed by Pete Chapouris--finally won the AMBR. That's AMBR, as in, America's Most Beautiful Roadster, the most sought-after title in all of hot-rodding and the crowning glory of the Grand National Roadster Show. There is that competition at the Detroit Autorama that hands out the Ridler Award, but that is open to all manner of kustom kars.