Under the Hood

Have you ever wondered how cars get from the production plant to your local dealership? Believe it or not, there's an entire industry devoted to getting them there.

By Mike Magda

Would you be surprised to learn that automakers are using adhesives to bond components on modern vehicles? We're not talking about the glue you'll find on a typical craft table. These are automotive structural adhesives.

By Ed Grabianowski

Some of the most insane hypercars have hit the market in the last few years. Whether you have a few million bucks to drop on a new set of sick wheels or not, you definitely want to check out the cars on this list.

By Kristen Hall-Geisler

Most race fans dream of slipping behind the wheel of a purebred race car. As it turns out, your own car already has several features that were originally designed for racing. So what are they?

By Jamie Page Deaton

People are bad drivers. But as the DARPA Urban Challenge proves, sometimes cars are, too. Why does a department of the U.S. government conduct an annual race for fully robotic cars?

By Jamie Page Deaton

High gas prices are driving people to look at alternatives to fossil fuels, such as a turbine designed by the father of alternating current, Nikola Tesla.

By William Harris

If your car were skinny enough, you could follow that guy on the bicycle who is threading his way through parked traffic. What a joy that would be. Is there such a car?

By Cristen Conger

The glory days of the over-sized SUV have ended. The lighter the vehicle, the less fuel it needs to get up and go. How light can a car be?

By Cristen Conger

Sure it'd be nice to have your car ferry you through the morning commute, but that's the stuff of sci-fi dreams, right? You'll be surprised at what driverless technology is already under your hood.

By Jamie Page Deaton & Kristen Hall-Geisler

The next time you're at the grocery store, take a moment to glance at the stacked shopping carts -- their space-saving design may be the basis for automobiles of the future.

By Robert Lamb

High gas prices have many of us feeling the pinch, but for truckers, the situation may be even more serious. Can a German visionary transform the semi and get the trucking industry back on the road?

By Josh Clark

If pressed upon to name features in the luxury cars of the future, Japanese Zen garden might not be the first thing to come to your mind. But perhaps it should be. What concept cars are influencing future autos?

By Josh Clark

Speed is a constant: 100 mph will always be 100 mph. But the source of speed is up for grabs -- especially since we may have reached peak oil. Will high-speed hydrogen or all-electric cars dominate our roads one day?

By Josh Clark

The next time your car won't start and you're cursing the battery, you might want to blame the alternator, too. This coconut-sized car part works with the battery to generate power for your vehicle.

By Josh Briggs & Kristen Hall-Geisler

It seems like a logical answer to the climate crisis: capture the carbon dioxide that our cars emit. Is it that simple? And what do sand and silica have to do with it?

By Josh Clark

We're not just talking about Hollywood cars like K.I.T.T. -- computerized cars are on our roads today. They're outfitted with high-tech features, but why are they called digital?

By Josh Clark

Maybe you budget for oil changes and new tires, but setting aside $1,600 for new headlights is a little steep. If cars are expensive to repair now, what does the future hold?

By Josh Clark

Manual, automatic, sequential, dual-clutch -- these are just a sample of what you'll see in this image gallery. Check out pictures of all types of transmissions right here.

Car engines range from small, economic 4-cylinders to insanely powerful 16-cylinder beasts. Get revved up with full-throttle photos of how they all work.

By Mark Larson & Tony Choummanivong

Turbochargers increase engine performance without adding much weight. Check out this image gallery to see pictures of how they do it.

Take a look at the powerful engines that made the Corvette, Impala, and Chevelle hi-performance machines. Learn about the history and specifications behind these memorable engines.

By the Auto Editors of Consumer Guide

The 283 Chevy V-8 has become one of Chevy's most revered engines -- the definitive small-block enshrined by a generation of car enthusiasts who followed. Learn more about the fuel-injected small-block Chevy V-8 that powered the Corvette.

By the Auto Editors of Consumer Guide

Dubbed "Turbo-Thrust," the 348 Chevy V-8 was the largest and most powerful Chevrolet engine you could buy in 1958-61. These powered some of the most memorable of the "performance" Chevys.

By the Auto Editors of Consumer Guide

Available for the Corvette and full-size Chevrolet in 1967, the 427 Chevy V-8 superseded the 396 with its aluminum cylinder heads with enlarged ports, hotter crankshaft, and bigger carburetor. Learn about one of Chevy's milestone performance engines.

By the Auto Editors of Consumer Guide

Chevy engineers had to bend some of their rules to get as much power out of the Chevy 454-cid V-8. America's "fuel shock" would ultimately sentence big-inch high-performance cars to oblivion. Learn about one of Chevy's milestone performance engines.

By the Auto Editors of Consumer Guide