European Cars & Motorcycles

The Northstar engine was a 90-degree V-8 engine produced by General Motors for -- among others -- its Cadillac marque. Production of the Northstar engine ceased in 2010; in the foreseeable future,…

The Mercedes Benz 500 SL is a two-door, two-wheel drive Grand Tourer sports car. The Baja 500 is a desert-based off-road race held annually in Mexico. The 500 SL being a low-profile sports car, it is…

The 1982 Mercedes 240D is equipped with a 2.4-liter diesel four-cylinder engine that produces 72-horsepower and 106 foot-pounds of torque. The 1982 240D is equipped with a standard four-speed…

Volvo Penta engines can trace their lineage back to the beginning of the 20th century, when a Swedish engineer designed an engine to be used in his company's foundry. By the middle of the century,…

Audi buyers have long known Audi as a company that seems to always have a car to fit their needs. Having full access to the Volkswagen group of vehicles – Volkswagen, Bentley and Lamborghini…

The mini JCB backhoe loader is a small backhoe made by J.C. Bamford Excavators LTD. Because of its smaller size, you can use it for smaller landscaping or digging jobs where a full sized backhoe is…

Volvo Penta, a prominent global supplier of power systems for marine and industrial applications, offers drives, propellers, auxiliary engines, accessories and complete engine systems. Although auto…

The Mercedes-Benz 300 SD was built on the full-size W126 S-Class chassis. The 300 SD combined the reliability and serviceability of the German automaker's diesel engines with the refinement and luxury…

The 2004 Volkswagen GLI 1.8T and GLI VR6 were sporty small family four-door sedans and five-door estate wagons. VW positioned the Jetta above the hatchback Golf. The 2004 Jetta was a member of the…

Cooper, a long-standing American engine company that introduced many engineering “firsts,” has gone through numerous name changes and iterations since its foundation in the 1830s. The…

Ever heard of Josiah Franklin? If you haven't, then you're not alone. He was a little-known tallow chandler and soap boiler who lived in Boston during the 18th century. Mr. Franklin's only real claim…

The Mercedes 190E debuted in 1983 and was manufactured through the 1990s. Some models of the sports luxury sedan featured a sunroof. If the sunroof stops working, there are several courses of action a…

The 2000 ML320 is a mid-sized SUV manufactured by Mercedes Benz. To operate the brake lights, there is a brake light switch connected to the brake pedal of the vehicle. When the pedal is depressed,…

The Passport 9500CI radar detector, made by Escort Radar, is a multi-component car radar and laser defense system. The Passport 9500CI device includes radar and laser receivers, display modules, a…

The Mercedes-Benz C 230 Kompressor, like the rest of the German automaker's 1999 vehicles, utilized a central locking system. The trunk could be released via an electronic button inside the passenger…

The 1990 Mercedes-Benz SL has both a removable hard top and an electrically operated soft top, which can fold away completely when opened. As with most items operating electrically, they are great…

The 190E is a sports sedan manufactured by Mercedes-Benz from 1984 to 1993. There is a fan switch on the central dashboard of the 190E to control the air conditioning of the vehicle. If the switch…

The Malibu Mini X is a sporting kayak that is often transported to water via automobile. When transporting the Malibu Mini X kayak, secure it to the car with the proper rigging. Improper rigging may…

Smaller pulleys in the Mini Cooper S play a role in the operation of components such as the power steering pump and the alternator. You can usually install these pulleys in just a few hours, and the…

Accessing wires inside the center stack on the Mini Cooper is a simple procedure when you want to access faulty wires, and perform do-it-yourself car modifications such as adding an aftermarket…

If you have a Mercedes-Benz and an iPhone, you can pair these two gadgets with the official Mercedes iPhone app, "mbrace." This app can perform many functions, including acting as a wireless key…

At the end of World War II much of Europe was in ruins. There were shortages of natural resources, food, electricity and gasoline. While Americans were enjoying relative prosperity, reflected in ever…

Stock VR6 fuel injectors were installed in a lot of Volkswagen automobiles, primarily the Passat. In the late 1980's the Volkswagen Group introduced a new 6-cylinder engine design, with staggered…

BMW introduced its first motorcycle model, the R32, in 1923. In 1983, 60 years later, the Bavarian Motor Works introduced their K line of motorcycles with the K100. The K series was based on the…

The Mercedes-Benz 240D was perhaps the most durable diesel-powered Mercedes ever to hit the market. It had a successful production run from 1974 to 1985 with 454,780 units sold worldwide. In 1981…

The Ferrari F1 racing team can trace it origins to Enzo Ferrari -- the founder of the famed high-performance racing and luxury sports car manufacturer -- organizing a racing team for Alfa Romeo for…

The nuvi 250 GPS unit by Garmin launched in 2007 as a choice for "the budget conscious consumer who is looking for basic navigation without all the bells and whistles of the higher end" nuvi models,…

Mercedes-Benz has been producing diesel-powered passenger cars in various body styles since 1936. Diesel- and gasoline-powered Mercedes generally share the same body styles of the coupe, four-door…

The ST3 and ST4 S are both high-performance motorcycles made by the Italian company Ducati. The ST3 was last released for the 2007 model year, while the ST4 S last came out the 2005 model year. While…

Automotive engineering has gone through a lot of evolution over the years, with the crush zone and other safety innovations being prime examples. The crush or crumple zone descends from a number of…

BMW produced the R100 GS from 1988 to 1996. At the time of its launch, it was the largest production dirt bike available. The original "G/S" designated the R100 GS as a Gelände Strasse or…

Heated motorcycle garments can make riding your BMW F800GS more comfortable when you're riding in poor weather and colder conditions. As a touring motorcycle, the F800GS features an on-board power…

A number of things go into determining a vehicle's towing capacity. The first and most important is its Gross Combined Weight Rating, which is how much the truck the truck and trailer are federally…

Motor homes, travel trailers and fifth wheels can provide the comforts of home as you roll through the countryside or relax in the woods. But these houses on wheels can accumulate a lot of dirt on…

Mercedes-Benz produced well over 160 types of engines since the automaker's inception in 1886 when it introduced its first gasoline-powered, belt-driven six-horsepower two-cylinder engine. Since then,…

In 1957, the Classic Mini Cooper was born out of a desire to battle high gas prices in England. A car company executive asked a designer to create a small, fuel efficient, affordable car that could…

BMW produced the entry-level luxury E36 3 Series coupe, sedan, convertible, hatchback and the European wagon from 1992 to 1999. The E36 was part of the third generation of 3 Series compact cars that…

The 1950s were a sort of golden age for the newly formed Formula One racing series, a transitional period where prewar designs reached their zenith while playing host to some of the most legendary…

The V-8 powered supercar is perhaps one of the most beautiful contradictions known to man -- a heavyweight boxer with the grace of a ballerina, a sledgehammer with the precision of a scalpel. This…

The 1986 Mercedes-Benz 190E 2.3-16 was the performance version of the 190E four-door sedan commonly called the "Baby Benz" in the United States for its small 104.9-inch wheelbase. Mercedes…

Leather and leatherette, one name for artificial leather, are two materials commonly used in fashion and upholstery. Makers of purses, belts and shoes commonly use both materials. The auto and…

The British sports car of the 1960s was king of the road in the United Kingdom. Many automakers, particular Lotus and Austin-Healy, demonstrated their prowess on European racing circuits. Their racing…

The Mini Cooper has undergone numerous changes since the first version of the famed British compact hit the streets in 1961. A 2001 redesign and relaunch breathed new life into the Mini, which is now…

The 1972 Mercedes-Benz 280 SE is part of the 1968 to 1972 generation of SE four-door saloons, or sedans. It was the first luxury S-Class saloon. The 280 designation identifies the engine as having a…

The Oliver 1250 and 1250A model tractors are antique tractors produced in the 1960s. The tractors were produced by Fiat in Italy and exported to Canada, where they were first imported by Cockshutt…

The Audi S6 high-performance luxury executive car has been a competitor to BMW's M5 and Mercedes-Benz's AMG E-Class models since its German introduction as a new model in 1994. Like the A6 on which it…

Mercedes-Benz vehicles, including the E-series, can be fitted with an electronic stability program, called ESP. The ESP system detects that the vehicle is deviating from the direction that the ESP…

The American muscle car was a product of postwar prosperity. Bigger cars and bigger engines demonstrated supremacy in the global automotive market. The result was huge V-8s packing massive horsepower…

BMW's cars are recognized around the world by the blue and white roundel logo that is fitted onto each model. The brand's 3-Series and "M" line of performance cars are iconic and recognized by even…

BMW is a German car manufacturer that is well known for their luxury sports cars. The 3 Series was introduced first in 1975 and has undergone many iterations since. The year 1987 signaled the…