NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- Everyone's familiar with the idea of "black boxes" in commercial airliners. They keep a record of everything the aircraft does so that, in the event of an accident, investigators can reconstruct what happened in the minutes leading up to the crash.Ironically, most people are unfamiliar with the "black boxes" in their own cars.In 2005, it was estimated that about 64 perce
When Alois Ruf, owner of Ruf Automobile, invited me to Germany to attempt 200 mph (322 km/h) on the Autobahn in his historic Yellowbird, I was skeptical. OK, the Yellowbird is capable of such speeds -- it was the first production car to break the elusive 322 km/h barrier in 1987. And yes, I had driven that fast before, twice -- in a Lamborghini Murciélago and in an open-wheel Indy race car ow
Many drivers believe that a car comes complete with a set of keys and a full tank of gas. It isn't so -- and a first encounter with emergency will teach even the best driver how prepared they aren't.There are a few small things you can carry to make life on the road easier. Most can be had for less than ten dollars, too. If you're going to be on the road every day, these seven items will prove the
Marcello Mastroianni would be proud. And not just because his countrymen at Vespa's parent company, the Pontedera, Italy-based Piaggio Group, pulled off a financial coup on July 11: A stentorian initial public offering on the Borsa Italiana thoroughly beat expectations, defying a weak market by rallying 14 percent on its first day of trading.Like Mastroianni's sexy, swaggering cinema persona, Vesp
For a certain adventurous type, a simple race--running, sailing, biking or swimming -- just won't suffice.These people want to do more than test their speed and skill; they want to confront mortality and are only satisfied when there is an element of danger to a competition. Whether it's motorcycles, sports cars, boats, animals or just feet, they are flocking to the most challenging and dangerous
Are American cars and carmakers getting a fair shake? Amidst all the bad news and management missteps, despite the overreliance on gas-guzzling cars and crippling labor costs, the tumbling stock prices and the depressing debt ratings, the news is not all bad. Like a struggling baseball franchise with some hot prospects in its farm clubs, the future could be a lot better than the present.CHEERS AND
Mercedes-Benz has decided to provoke our curiosity once again over the next generation SMART fortwo. We've already seen a sand sculpture of it, as well as some mysterious detail shots that promote Coke, but today SMART has released a pair of brand new renderings (second shot after the jump) ahead of the Paris Motor Show at which t
Honda introduced the wonders of their innovative VTEC (Variable Valve Timing and Lift Electronic Control System) technology to Americans by rolling out the NSX in 1990. At the time, many considered the technology to be the normally-aspirated alternative to turbocharging and supercharging. For some, though, Honda engineers made the turbos and superchargers seem like archaic add-ons because instead of increasing horsepower by dumping more fuel into the combustion chamber with high air pressures, t
The Grande Punto has been a runaway success since it was introduced to the European market last fall. The Fiat supermini quickly became the best selling vehicle in Europe, helping Fiat Auto and the Fiat Group post impressive profits. The success has been particularly notable in the UK, where some 20,000 Grande Puntos have fo
Something like SEMA without the Vegas lights and parties, last week's Automechanika trade show in Frankfurt was a chance for parts and service suppliers to strut their stuff before a world audience. More than 165,000 visitors from 130 nations flocked to Frankfurt last week to see what's new in the automotive parts business. One of the highlights was a tire pressure monitor system (TPMS) from Siemens VDO that promises to make it relatively affordable to add this safety feature to just about any v
