A shot of the world’s luckiest guy, Kaleb Whitby, still in the wreckage of his pickup truck pinned between two semis. If one could bottle luck, slap a label on it and sell it in stores, we’d line up to buy it if it came from one Kaleb Whitby. This 27-year-old farmer from Kennewick, Washington likely already fancied himself a pretty fortunate guy, on account of having a hot wife, a cute toddler and another on the way. But early Saturday morning, he got a dose of good fortune that stunned rescuers and is making international headlines. “Thank God I’m still alive,” Whitby told reporters on the scene of the massive pileup that involved more than 20 vehicles and some 100 people on the Beaver State’s I-84. “Now, I’ve got to go figure out...

Head Up Display technology has come a long way and may soon become standard features in new vehicles. If there’s one constant in the automotive world, it’s constant change. The technologies we have today once were only dreamt of. And those that seem impossible today may well be commonplace tomorrow. Following is a rundown of the top five new automotive technologies coming down the pike, as selected by the gearheads and technophiles here at E3 Spark Plugs. Autonomous vehicles: Go ahead, sip that latte, snap that selfie and Tweet that LOL while heading to work. Mercedes-Benz, Audi and General Motors all have partially autonomous cars hitting the sales lots this year or next. And a new study suggests that by 2035, one in 10 cars sold in the US will be fully...

A scene from the new Project CARS video game, due for release in March. If you’re already itching to experience the new Project CARS racing simulator, you’re in luck – Sort of. While it won’t hit your video game consoles until March, you can get a glimpse of what’s to come via the just-released trailer. Among the sleek, sexy speedsters featured are a range of F1s, Hot Hatches, Hypercars and what looks to be a hydrogen-fueled Aston Martin Rapide S. Project CARS (which stands for Community Assisted Racing Simulator) was developed by Britain’s Slightly Mad Studios and is slated for release on Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One on March 17 in the US, March 20 in Europe. Wii U and SteamOS/Linux versions are expected later in the year. Rather...

Several models of partially automated cars hit the market this year, and experts say they’ll go mainstream sooner than you think. The times, they are a changin’! Up until this year, autonomous cars were the stuff of Bond flicks and Google projects. Now, three major automakers – Audi, Mercedes-Benz and General Motors – plan to roll out partially automated cars in 2015 and 2016. Fully driverless cars are expected to hit auto dealership showrooms by 2025. And according to a new study, they’ll be all the rage. Conducted by the Boston Consulting Group, a global management consulting firm and the world’s leading advisor on business strategy, upward of 12 million driverless cars will traverse America’s roadways by 2035. That figure represents 10...

Google debuts its Android Auto in-car infotainment system this year. On the heels of Apple’s CarPlay infotainment system that debuted in 2014 model year cars, Google recently announced its own version called Android Auto, set for release this year. Apple’s CarPlay is available for all iPhones that operate on iOS7.1 or later and connects via the Lightning connector to a vehicle’s dashboard console. Similarly, the current Android Auto software requires connection to an Android-powered phone to be connected to a car‘s dash console. But Google has bigger plans in store. Ultimately, the company aims to allow for installation of a coming version of the Android software directly into a vehicle’s infotainment system, making it the standard operating interface....

We’re looking forward to a spate of 2015 films sure to please car buffs, including “Mad Max: Fury Road.” The New Year has begun and judging by our highly unscientific review of the coming year in film, 2015 will be a good one for the fast car enthusiast. Here is E3 Spark Plugs’ list of must-see movies for gearheads and auto buffs: Furious 7: The mysterious Deckard Shaw (Jason Statham), who makes his first appearance in the after-credit scene of Fast and furious 6 that takes viewers back to the Tokyo Drift days and features Han’s car exploding, is back. Remember Owen Shaw (Luke Evans), the former special ops mercenary major-turned-underworld power figure that Dominic Toretto (Vin Diesel) threw from a plane in Fast & Furious 6? Yeah. Turns out Deckard...

Chrysler is recalling some 67,000 2006-2007 Dodge Ram, Dodge Dakota and Mitsubishi Raider trucks. Fiat Chrysler (formerly called the Chrysler Group) has issued a voluntary recall of nearly 67,000 trucks from the 2006 and 2007 model years with manual transmissions – and with good reason. In May, the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration launched an investigation into a reported issue with the trucks’ clutches. Prompting the investigation was the heartbreaking death of a child run over by a 2006 Dodge Ram 3500 pickup truck inadvertently started by another child. NHTSA investigators found that a spring wire in the clutch ignition interlock switch can break in trucks with manual transmissions. The result can be either the vehicle not starting at all, or...

Is Junior on your last nerve, bugging you for a sleek new ride rather than the decade-old hand-me-down you drove when he was in kindergarten? We feel you, Mom and Pop. But this time, Junior might just have a valid point, according to results of a new study released by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS). Turns out that nearly half of drivers ages 15 to 17 killed in auto accidents between 2008 and 2012 drove cars that were at least 11 years old. Researchers analyzed data from the government’s Fatality Analysis Reporting System, informally known as FARS. That data shows, compared to middle-aged drivers killed in car accidents during the same time span, teens overwhelmingly drove older, smaller cars. It also revealed that 82 percent of teens killed in wrecks drove...

Is having more fun or spending time with your family or friends on your list of New Year’s resolutions? Well, then get in your car and go! Now that 2014 is quickly coming to a close, people worldwide are thinking about their plans, goals and hopes for 2015. One dismal bit of info from the statistical brainiacs swears that a meager eight percent of Americans actually succeed in keeping their New Year’s resolutions. We here at E3 Spark Plugs are calling that particular stat bogus. In fact, we’re convinced that all you need to help you keep a few top resolutions is your trusty ride. Here’s how… Get more exercise: This one is pretty much a given on any New Year’s resolutions list. But gyms are pricey and one can only circle the local park so many...

Classic American cars fill Cuba’s streets. But are they collector-worthy? Mention Cuba and any automotive-minded American immediately envisions streets lined with classic US-made cars in every color. Now that President Obama is moving to relax (if not ultimately end) our nation’s 54-year-old trade embargo against the Pearl of the Antilles, many collectors are wondering if Cuba may be the next mother lode of accessible classic rides. Perhaps – and perhaps not, experts say. Throughout the early 20th century, after gaining its independence from the US in 1902 and until the Communist revolution in 1959, Cuba thrived. A mid-century economic boom filled its streets with Detroit steel. But that stopped in 1960 with the US commercial, economic, and financial embargo imposed...