Dealer Pack Assortment-class 8.8 - Dorman# 025-075 on 2040-parts.com

Bungling thief caught after stealing hire car's steering wheel

A DIM-WITTED criminal has been convicted of theft after stealing parts of a brand new Audi A3 hire car and replacing them with old bits taken from his much older Audi S3. Alexander Keating, a 23-year-old former bodyshop technician who lost his job following the conviction, stole parts as obvious as the steering wheel and gear knob from the A3 that his mum had hired after damaging her car in an accident. Keating foolishly believed no one would notice the battered old steering wheel on the otherwise shiny, new car, but sure enough the mismatched parts were spotted and the hapless bungler was caught by the car hire firm’s bespoke anti-fraud team Asset Protection Unit (APU).

Dakar Rally 2012 Day 3 update

American Robby Gordon continues to hold second place overall at the completion of day three of the 2012 Dakar. Hummer driver Gordon, vying to make up for the delays suffered on Monday, completed the 129 competitive miles between San Rafael and San Juan in the Argentine Andes with the fifth-fastest time. His teammate and defending Dakar champion Nasser Al-Attiyah was third-quickest and moves into sixth position overall, having dropped precious time on day one with a loss of oil pressure.

Hot Wheels Ford Transit and custom F-100 break cover at SEMA

Ford is making its Transit Connect van cool the only way it knows how: with the help of Hot Wheels. The company unveiled a customized royal blue van today at SEMA in Las Vegas. Alongside the Transit, the Blue Oval also revealed a customized 1956 Ford F-100 pickup, codenamed Snakebit, for charity.