Wild 1 1 1/4in. Chubby Psycho Handlebar - 10in. Chopper T-bar - Chrome on 2040-parts.com

Festival of the Unexceptional: the bad cars we love

Ever been to a classic car show and noticed how many old MGBs and sports cars of yesteryear have turned up, driven by their proud owners, but wondered what happened to all the more mainstream stuff? There are twice as many Ferrari 308 GTBs on the roads in the UK than Austin Allegros, because the everyday cars of the past fail MOTs, get chucked away and replaced with shiny new hatchbacks. Fortunately, there is a select group of people in the UK who care for the mundane stuff of yesterday and, because of this, a new event for “unexceptional” cars will be taking place this summer.

2011 Ford Harley-Davidson F-150 gets power boost from the Raptor SVT

Ford is Raptorizing one of its top-flight F-150s for 2011, adding more power underhood to go with the loads of looks and leather that are the hallmarks of the Harley-Davidson edition. The 2011 model is fitted with the 6.2-liter V8--first offered in the Raptor SVT--that makes 411 hp and 434 lb-ft of torque while towing up to 9,300 pounds. That's a monster upgrade from the previous edition, which displaced 5.4 liters and made 320 hp and 390 lb-ft.

Design Contest: AutoStyle 2011

The newly renovated Polirone Abbey in San Benedetto Po, Italy, will again play host to the Autostyle design competition on October 6th and 7th. Now in its eighth edition, the event is more than just a design contest; it is also a workshop on the state of the auto industry. Devised by Roberto Artioli, managing director of Berman SpA, an OEM parts and genuine accessories designer and supplier, and Fulvio Cinti, Director of Auto & Design magazine, the event will honor the winners of this year's competition and present a total of five awards to 12 finalists, which have been selected out of 80 applicants from different design schools.