Articles by Michael Fernie
18/11/16
Saved only for an elite club of performance machinery, the RS badge has featured on some legendary cars over the years. Here are some of the greatest!
17/11/16
Hidden behind the pedal box and nestled deep within the hydraulic systems of a car, the master and slave cylinders provide assistance to potentially the most important systems of a car
12/11/16
Ever wondered why different countries drive on alternate sides of the road? Let us explain!
11/11/16
There's nothing worse than a rough, rattling engine, often referred to as being 'tappety'. So what causes this unwanted tapping sound?
11/11/16
Also known as 'Prius repellent', rolling coal has become a craze in the diesel truck community. Here's how it works
10/11/16
Alternators are important because they're the life support mechanism to your electrical system. Here's how they work
08/11/16
It's every petrolheads worst nightmare, so here are the ways most car thieves go about their business and how you can protect against them
04/11/16
Does a car need to do 200mph to be classed as a supercar? Probably not, but here are some cars that didn't quite make it...
04/11/16
Many of us petrolheads like to simply stand back and listen to our cars ticking over on idle, but how does the engine keep running without any throttle input?
03/11/16
Some petrolheads see them as a nuisance, but cats are a vital component for your vehicle's emissions control
01/11/16
You may have a soft spot for many cars on this list, but do you know their power output down to the last brake horsepower? Let's find out...
27/10/16
With cross-plane crank V8s dominating these days, we are thankful that the engineers behind these cars went for the howling flat-plane alternative
27/10/16
Rev hang can be a nuisance but also has real-world benefits. Here's everything you need to know!
27/10/16
They are used to open and close the inlet and exhaust valves in an engine, but how many camshafts feature in these cars?
25/10/16
The relationship between the moving parts of an engine is engineered to extremely high tolerances, kept in check by very precise engine timing. Here's how it all works
21/10/16
Ever wondered what an automatic transmission has instead of a clutch? It's called a torque converter, and it does all the hard work for you
21/10/16
Once consigned to only the most expensive supercars, launch control can now be found even on fairly docile hot hatches. So how do these systems work?
20/10/16
Electric cars still don't quite meet the standards set by more traditional setups, with plenty of downsides to put people off buying them
18/10/16
Turbocharging has dominated in recent years thanks to the downsizing trend, but some manufacturers have held true to supercharging to fulfil their forced-induction needs
15/10/16
Most of us understand supercharger boost, but what when a capacity is given in litres, what does it actually mean?
14/10/16
Rust repair is about as tedious as working on cars can get, but it could save your car from the crusher
14/10/16
A change from the usual cross-flow head, this engine configuration has its advantages and drawbacks. Here's how it works
12/10/16
Test your knowledge of engine output per litre with this strangely tough quiz