Author: Tabitha

Cool wheels can set your vehicle apart from the crowd. There are certainly plenty of choices, including a selection from California-based Vision Wheel. The Torque model, pictured, is part of the American Muscle Legend series (a line of 26 wheel types) that comes in a gunmetal painted finish with a machined lip, plus an optional spinner-style cap. Torque wheels are available in 15-, 18- and 20-inch diameters, with suggested retail prices ranging from $80 to $200 a wheel. Check out the full line of Vision wheels and get info on their retail associates at www.visionwheel.com.

Diversified Products assists people who do business from the driver’s seat by offering a variety of in-vehicle desks. For example, the RoadMaster Auto Exec car desk provides plenty of space for laptop and tablet-style computers and its adjustable pivoting 25.5-by-21.25-inch surface provides enough room for writing/editing documents. There are slots for hanging-file folders, places for cell phones and other accessories such as stationery supplies and business cards. AutoExec also makes a Truck Desk for larger vehicles. The RoadMaster Car Desk sells for $200 from www.mobileofficedesk.com.

Most people know that GM dealers have a selection of parts and accessories, from running boards to wheels, for you to supplement and customize a new-vehicle purchase, but few people know that Bembo brake systems are now part of that inventory. Fewer still would know that they can add Brembo brakes to their full-size trucks and utility vehicles. The upgrade from the famous Italian company sells for about $2,800 plus installation charges and includes humongous 16-inch rotors and red six-piston calipers, for an 84-percent increase in pad area and a 42-percent gain in rotor surface area. The included ‘Duralife’ rotors…

If your vehicle lacks a backup-warning system, there’s now a way to acquire one. The FenV1 Smart Wireless Parking Sensor from FenSens provides backup assistance for literally any make, model, or year of car, truck or van. The unit consists of a Bluetooth-enabled license-plate bracket with sensors that can detect objects up to 10 feet away. The visual parking cues are provided by a smart phone app (Android or iOS/Siri-compatible) that also sounds a warning as you approach objects in your path. A mount for attaching your phone to your vehicle’s air vent is also included. Order the FenV1 for…

Cyberoptix TieLab produces neckties and bowties that display a variety of interests, including automotive. For example, the gearshift motif lets everyone know you’re into manual transmissions. Other tie styles depict racetrack layouts, racing stripes, vintage auto brands and auto parts, etc. Prices vary depending on the product and material. The gearshift tie sells for $30 for the micro-fiber version, and up to $56 each for those made from fair-trade silk. You can also add a wood gift box for an additional $10. Check out all of the designs and order at www.cyberoptix.com.

For many people, actor/racer Steve McQueen has yet to be topped as the coolest cat who ever lit up the screen, or a racetrack. Sonic Editions, a company specializing in all kinds of classic images, sells limited-edition Steve McQueen photographs from the Michael Ochs Archives of Los Angeles. Ochs took most of them back in 1971 when McQueen was directing and starring in his racing movie ‘Le Mans.’ Each print is produced on high-grade Fuji Crystal Archive paper and comes professionally framed. Choose from a variety of McQueen photos starting at $139 for an 11- by- 14-inch print, and up…

University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), researchers say they have combined a supercapacitor and hydrogen fuel cell into a single hybrid unit that’s run by solar power. In addition to having a battery’s usual positive and negative terminals, a third electrode can be tapped to either store electric energy “or use it to split water into its constituent hydrogen and oxygen atoms” (called water electrolysis), reports emerging-technologies webmagazine New Atlas. The system allows, for the first time ever, the ability to make both fuel and electricity with a single device, said Richard Kaner, senior author. It uses nickel, iron and…

Once so exotic and expensive it could be found only in Formula One racecars and high-end performance vehicles, carbon fiber is going into pickups. Aiming to outdo Ford’s aluminum F150, a carbon-fiber bed is expected to be among the changes in materials content for the next-generation full-size Chevrolet Silverado, according to sources close to the project. Still more expensive than steel and aluminum, carbon fiber is expected to be used “as part of a mix of materials for the box of the pickups,” including aluminum, reports industry newspaper Automotive News. It could mark GM’s first use of carbon-fiber-reinforced thermoplastics, being…

The luxury-focused automaker previously indicated that its hot-looking 8 Series concept coupe would form the basis for an actual production version. The Sleuth’s sources are now confirming this and also that the car won’t be a watered-down version of the curvy concept. The new four-seater will go on sale in 2019 as a 2020 model. There’s also further scuttlebutt that a coupe-like four-door variant will be added to round out the lineup of $100,000-plus premium vehicles. The new 8 Series (a number that has been absent for at least two decades) will reportedly get the same 445-horsepower V-8 and 601-horsepower…

This early-January technology show in Las Vegas, Nev., has definitely become the primary launch pad for new electrified and autonomous vehicles. Along with a keynote address from Ford CEO Jim Hackett, Hyundai revealed a new hydrogen-fuel-cell utility vehicle and Kia trotted out an electric version of the NIRO. Then there’s China-based startup Bytom, which showed an electric (and self-driving) ‘Smart Intuitive Vehicle.’ Lastly, Fisker, which launched the electric Karma a few years back before calling it quits, has regrouped and it brought the electric all-wheel-drive EMotion sedan to CES. Along with a slinky body and scissors-style doors, the $130,000 EMotion’s…