Wagner L134675 Rear Brake Caliper-quickstop Reman Loaded Caliper on 2040-parts.com

Old is new again: Will a floor-hinged throttle pedal be in your future?

If you think that every little nut, bolt, switch, gear or widget in your new car wasn't scrutinized by a team of highly educated, overworked car geeks (read: engineers), think again. A couple of recent conversations with automotive engineers confirmed that virtually nothing that goes into a car today is taken for granted. During the recent Pebble Beach weekend, I had the pleasure of spending time with an engineer for Jaguar, and the subject turned to materials used for various switches in the cabin.

Concept Car of the Week: Ford Forty-Nine (2001)

Over 1.3 million orders were placed for the 1949 Ford before it even went officially on sale. The revolutionary post-war design with slick slab sides and semi-covered wheels became a symbol of American optimism. "The inspiration for the Forty-Nine concept comes from the passion and excitement of the original, combined with the imagination of people across America who customized the car and turned it into what they thought a really great car should be," said J Mays, Ford's vice president of Design at the unveiling of the retro-futurist coupe back in 2001.

Ford trucks pulling it to the next level

With the heavy-duty truck segment heating up, Ford is breaking out some tough new vehicles and an upgraded 6.7-liter diesel engine. The second-generation 6.7-liter Power Stroke V8 turbo diesel packs a manufacturer estimated 440 hp with 860 lb-ft of torque. This is a gain of 40 hp and 60 lb-ft over the first-gen 6.7 oil burner.