Buick confirms 2011 Regal 2.0T to come with manual transmission. Wait... wha?

by Chris Paukert

Trivia Time: When was the last time a U.S. market Buick was available with a manual transmission? Honestly, we can't recall anything more recent than a buddy in high school having a hand-me-down mid-Eighties Somerset coupe with a stubby, workmanlike five-speed. Even back then its presence in our friend's hooptie was a genuine curiosity and a source of perpetual amusement.

Naturally, we posed this same question to a few Buick PR-types this morning at a first drive event upon learning from vehicle line executive Jim Federico that the reborn 2011 Regal will receive a six-speed manual transmission option (mated to a blown 2.0-liter four, no less). The answer? Shoulder shrugs and sheepish looks. Curiously, nobody even tried to answer our query with a red herring like the ill-fated Reatta coupe (it only came with a four-speed automatic).

So we now know when a Buick will next feature God's Own Gearbox (probably in the third quarter of 2010), but we still can't crack this historical chestnut – so we beseech thee, Autoblog Nation... what year was the last Buick built with a DIY transmission – and what car was it in? Hit us with your best shot in Comments.

Dartz Prombron drops the whale penis

by Jonny Lieberman

First of all, yes – this is pure Mercedes-Benz propaganda. We're fully aware of that fact. Second, despite it all, we're very jealous of what takes place in this video. In order to show off just how much junk you're able to fit inside the new E-Class Wagon -– or "Estate" in Mercedes parlance. How they settled on building a giant slot car track (or more precisely, sneaking it past the corporate money men) is beyond us, but we're glad they did.

So, how much junk? Quite a bit. Specifically, 1,275 pieces of track, including a section that snakes through the E-Class. All told, the track is over 400 meters long (about a quarter mile) and takes the 1/32 scale DTM cars four minutes and forty-seconds to complete. The track layout was designed beforehand on a computer because otherwise, well... they'd still be building it. Watch the full video after the jump.

F1 teams play musical engines as Cosworth emerges the favorite for 2010

by Noah Joseph

As it turns out, the addition of four new teams, the departure of BMW Sauber and a massive game of musical chairs in the driver's market aren't the only big changes in store next year in Formula One. As this year's championship winds to a close, reports emerge that several teams are switching their engine partners for next year.

Following earlier reports that McLaren could fully divorce from Mercedes and acquire arch-rival BMW's engine operations, new reports indicate that both Red Bull and Williams are switching engine suppliers for the upcoming season. Williams announced a couple of weeks ago that it was terminating its deal with Toyota early due to dissatisfaction with the performance of the Japanese engine package. While the independent British team had reportedly been negotiating with Renault, inside information now indicates that Williams will take advantage of the new Cosworth package for next season instead.

Meanwhile, Red Bull could end up with the Cosworth package as well. The team has revealed that it is considering staying with Renault or alternatively switching to either Mercedes, Toyota or Cosworth. Unsatisfied with the Renault package and with McLaren reportedly vetoing RBR's tie-in with Mercedes, it's now apparently down to Toyota and Cosworth. Insiders point out that with the ban on engine development still in place for the returning manufacturers, Cosworth is the only provider capable of developing a new engine.

The two veteran teams would be joining Manor, Campos, Lotus and USF1 under Cosworth power. Ferrari, Renault and Toyota will, of course, continue building their own engines. If McLaren doesn't absorb BMW's engine department in time, it will likely stick with Mercedes, while Brawn and Force India are expected to continue with Mercedes power as well. That leaves Toro Rosso, which has yet to confirm if it will continue using Ferrari engines as it has for the past three seasons. Know all about car finance, car finance calculator, car loan, car loans at lowest rate.