The spark Plug

The electric spark ignition, the Lodge Igniter was invented by Oliver Lodge for the internal combustion engine.

Porsche 911 sports car model fire investigation

Porsche has halted deliveries of its overhauled 911 sports car due to two of the sports cars catching on fire. One of the vehicles was in Italy and the other was in Switzerland. Engineers at Porsche’s headquarters are investigating the remains of the gutted cars to find out the cause of those fires.

On a more positive note for Porsche, Porsche’s CEO Matthias Mueller stated last week Porsche is expected to achieve its goal of selling more than 200,000 SUV’s and sports cars three years earlier than scheduled.

Kazunori Yamauchi  creator of the video games Gran Turismo and professional race car driver since 2009 helped in developing Nissan's GT-R.

The Mazda Miata turns 25

This year Mazda's  sporty Miata turns 25. The first public showing of the Miata was at the 1989 Chicago auto show. 

370,000 Full-Sized Trucks Recalled by GM for Risk of Fire

370,000 full-size trucks are being recalled by GM for fire risk. After eight reported fires  GM is telling owners not to leave trucks unattended with the engine on (idling). January 2014 the automaker announced the recall of the 2014 Chevrolet Silverado and GM Sierra for a software reprogramming to prevent the overheating of exhaust components that could potentially lead to fires in the engine compartment. This issue is often signaled by a "engine power reduced" message in the driver information center and a yellow continuous "check engine light". There have been eight confirmed fires as result of this software issue.

New Aluminum Ford F-150

After waiting three years Ford is introducing an aluminum F-150 truck model year 2015. Using both Military-Grade aluminum alloy and high strength steel Ford is building a truck that is the best of both worlds, building a truck that will be stronger than ever. This new truck is slated for sale in the fourth quarter.

Transmissions

W.H. James invented a rudimentary three-speed transmission in 1832. 

The invention of the modern transmission was credited to Panhard and Levassor. On April 28, 1908 they installed it in their 1895 Panhard.

One of the earliest patents for an automobile transmission was obtain by Leonard Dyer.