Hard to believe, but the Mazda Miata is 20 years old. And Mazda didn't let the birthday pass without a party.

On July 17, parked in the inner courtyard of Mazda R&D in Irvine, Calif., were examples of every significant Miata and MX-5 Miata ever made. There were pristine first-, second- and third-generation cars as well as a number of racing Miatas and a couple of concept cars. The beautiful red Monoposto sat next to the gold, fixed-roof M Coupe, and that one was next to a 1995 M Speedster (the latter reminding us that there have been so many special- edition Miatas that the regular production cars should be worth more than the special editions when these things enter the collector-car market, though that may be unlikely given that most owners don't want to quit driving them).

 

Say what you want about its product, but Red Bull knows how to put a freaking cool racing video together (case in point: Travis Pastrana's record-breaking New Year's Eve rally car jump).

Now it's released one of my favorites to date: Rhys Millen's run in his specialized Hyundai to the top of Pikes Peak. Weather and a new car conspired to bump Millen to third ("Monster" Tajima took first yet again) and keep the notorious 10-minute mark intact, but Millen had a good run in an exciting car, and I'm already counting down the days until next year's Race to the Clouds.

Check out the video, after the jump. 

Do you own a Pontiac G8 GT? Do you live in Maryland?

If you answered "yes" to both these questions, then we have the following to say: 1.) Congratulations on owning a beast of a car, and 2.) It's time to get out of Dodge, er, Maryland, before you start paying some serious fines.

According to this post on Jalopnik, a forum member by the name of Jackalope over at G8Board.com has a disturbing story: After being cited and ticketed $60 for illegal taillights on his G8 GT -- the factory-issued, Transportation Department-approved headlights, mind you -- said reader brought the case to court.

And the judge upheld the ruling. 

President Barack Obama has received his first up-close look at the 2011 Chevrolet Volt.

The president stopped by Compact Power battery plant in Holland, Mich., on Thursday, where he sat in the car. The parent company of Compact Power, LG Chem, will make the battery cells for the Volt.

 

Looks like Tesla is building more than mule vehicles for Toyota. As reported today by various outlets, the electric-vehicle manufacturer -- fresh off its initial public stock offering and with $50 million of Toyota's money in the bank thanks to the Japanese automaker's purchase of 3 percent of the company -- will collaborate with Toyota to produce an electric version of its RAV4 compact SUV. In fact, a prototype is already in the testing stages. Toyota is providing the body and other major components, while Tesla is providing the electric powertrain and battery system. The electric version is slated to go on sale in 2012. 

One of the most humbling things about driving fast cars is realizing there are teenagers out there -- and even pre-teens -- who can kick your butt around a racetrack, just as talented youngsters could do in basketball, tennis or any other sport.

 

I met my latest batch of young hotshots at Pocono Speedway, where I lapped a NASCAR-style stock car for the first time. While the Stock Car Racing Experience school is a regular feature at Pocono’s tricky, 2.5-mile tri-oval, this day also featured young cast members of “Changing Lanes.” This eight-part documentary reality series, which debuts Sept. 1 on BET, follows a group of racing hopefuls as they compete for a coveted slot on the Revolution Racing team, which develops female and minority NASCAR drivers through its Drive for Diversity program.

 

From the series, narrated by the rapper and actor Ludacris, I met and drove speedway laps with cast members Jessica Brunelli, 17; Michael Cherry, 20; Katie Hagar, 24; and Ryan Gifford, 20. Between them, this foursome has raced everything from karts and dirt-track midgets to Formula BMWs and stock cars. And with contagious passion for the sport, they’ve been working their way up the daunting ladder that leads from obscure -- yet brutally competitive -- tracks in the boonies to the promised land of NASCAR’s big-name series.

 

Looks like we won’t be seeing any more smiling electrical outlets from General Motors. Last year, the Environmental Protection Agency announced that the Chevrolet Volt was the first car it had ever tested that had managed to achieve triple-digit fuel economy ratings: Under a new testing regimen, the plug-in electric vehicle managed to take the stellar rating of 230 mpg. Inevitably, GM rolled out an advertising campaign touting the unbelievable figures, complete with one very happy 120-volt electrical outlet. That is, until critics began crying foul.  

Time is running out to get a 2011 Ford Shelby Mustang GT500.

More than 3,300 orders have been placed for the instant icon -- arguably the best ‘Stang ever -- and Ford is capping orders for this model year at 5,500.

Do the math: that means 2,200 or less remain. Ford says it will halt orders in a bid to maintain the exclusivity of the GT500, and the initial response has already beat expectations.

“The car continues to be popular with sports car enthusiasts and collectors who are blown away by the increase in horsepower and performance,” said Fritz Wilke, Mustang brand manager. “The limited production of the 2011 should make this year even more desirable.”