At 7,000 rpm, a spark plug ignites the air/fuel mixture nearly 60 times per second. Any one of those 60 sparks going amiss can at best be mildly annoying, and at worst cost you a race or an engine.

It’s become a debate for the ages. Ford versus Chevy. Coke versus Pepsi. And now, points versus Pertronix. For nearly 70 years, just about every car had a points-based ignition system. This venerable ...

For something that's everywhere, but can't normally be seen, electricity is pretty amazing. It can produce light, heat, and something that's important to most of us: it can jump an air gap in a ...

Back in the day, point-triggered ignition system tune-ups were routine and happened roughly every 12,000 miles, along with a set of spark plugs and an ignition timing adjustment. These days, we’re so ...