The late 1950's and early 1960 saw a huge invasion of imports. The VW Beetle was by far the top seller, but for several years next place went to the Renault Dauphine. In 1958 over 26,000 Dauphines were sold, about half the number of VWs imported. The Dauphine, introduced in 1956, was based on the Renault 4CV that appeared immediately after World War II. A few 4CVs were imported. Read More »

Before World War II, Americans drove "Detroit iron" exclusively Most Americans never even saw an import, except perhaps in a magazine. After the war, imports became popular. Of course, they most all came from Britain. Automobile manufacturing capability in German, Japan and Italy had been decimated during the war. However, because of its "export or perish" policy in the immediate post-World War II period, virtually every British automobile manufacturer shipped their products to America. Read More »

Another win for Audi, the first for Acura and Andretti Green Racing, and the most exciting finish in race history marked the start of the 2007 American Le Mans Series on Saturday. Marco Werner, Emanuele Pirro and Frank Biela drove to victory at the 55th Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring in one of the most thrilling editions of the Florida classic in its history. Read More »

The Australian Grand Prix 2007 undoubtedly belonged to Kimi Raikkonen and the Shell powered Scuderia Ferrari. Read More »

I go to car shows frequently and see lots of nice cars. Unfortunately, sometimes I see a nice restoration marred by a few details. I wonder why owners go to great effort and expense to restore a vehicle, then cut a few corners resulting in less than a prize winning job. "Attention to detail" is key to a award winning restoration. Read More »

The first postwar Japanese cars were spartan and simple to keep prices affordable. Very poor Japanese roads meant that while cars had to be rugged, they did not need not be fast. The tax structure favored Kei Jidoski microcars with under 360 cc engines and no longer than 3-meters (118-inches.) They were also exempt from mandatory overhaul and owners did not have to prove they had a place to park before they could make a purchase. Read More »

SURFERS PARADISE, Australia (October 22, 2006) – On a day when the history-making championship drama of the Lexmark Indy 300 ended after just 18 laps, Nelson Philippe (#4 CTE Racing – HVM Ford-Cosworth/Lola/Bridgestone) made some history of his own in winning his first Bridgestone Presents The Champ Car World Series Powered by Ford event. Philippe became the youngest driver in ... Read More »

Monterey, Calif. – The end of the 2006 American Le Mans Series was about as ideal for Audi as possible. The German marque completed a perfect season Saturday night with a victory in the Monterey Sports Car Championships from Allan McNish and Dindo Capello, their eighth win of the season and the feather in their championship hat. Diesel power also ... Read More »

Today the curtain finally fell on an extraordinary 2006 season. It was a day of heightened emotions for the paddock – particularly for Scuderia Ferrari. Felipe Massa had a dream weekend, winning the Grand Prix in front of his home crowd. On the same day Ferrari and Formula One were also saying goodbye to seven times World Champion and racing ... Read More »

Ultra-low sulfur diesel engine complies with new emission standards in all 50 states; particulate filter further reduces emissions Read More »