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2009 Coronado Speed Fest

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Internal Leaked Document on Lotus Evora

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70's Porsche Documentary

Le Mans 1969

1969 24 Hours of Le Mans Video

Mini-layland 1978 Layland Mini Propaganda

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Memo shows Toyota employees in Japan raised concerns

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Fiat May Need to Convince on Chrysler Before Seeking Auto IPO

 FROM BUSINESS WEEK:  Fiat SpA, the Italian carmaker that helped Chrysler Group LLC emerge from bankruptcy, may wait to turn around the U.S. business before deciding on a share sale or spinoff for its automotive division.

The Italian company’s stock has risen 19 percent this month on speculation that Chief Executive Officer Sergio Marchionne may carve out Fiat’s biggest unit as a new company. Fiat executives have so far sent mixed signals about whether an initial public offering of the division will take place. MORE»

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Fighting talk from Ross Brawn at Buckingham Palace

Mercedes GP team boss Ross Brawn displays his OBE. Photo AP

 FROM THE PRESS ASSOCIATION:  Motor racing boss Ross Brawn vowed to fight “tooth and claw and nail” during the imminent Formula One championship as he was awarded an OBE by the Queen.

Brawn, 55, team principal of Mercedes GP is in final preparations for the start of the season that begins on Sunday with the Bahrain grand prix.

But he was at Buckingham Palace to receive the OBE for winning both the drivers’ and constructors’ titles last year with his team Brawn GP, and for his outstanding contribution to motor sports over a career spanning more than 30 years. MORE»

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Toyota to fix more Tundras for rust problems

 FROM REUTERS:  Toyota said on Tuesday it would fix all Tundra pickups sold in the United States for the 2000 to 2003 model years to address a risk that part of the truck’s frame could corrode, causing spare tires or even the gas tank to drop to the road.

In November, Toyota Motor Corp had recalled 110,000 Tundras sold in 20 cold-weather states, saying exposure to heavy road salt could cause the corrosion. Toyota spokesman Brian Lyons was unable to say how many additional vehicles would be covered by the additional repairs.  MORE»

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Audi saves Volkswagen’s year, sees 2010 improvement

FROM REUTERS: German luxury carmaker Audi contributed the bulk of Volkswagen’s cash and earnings in 2009 and forecast better results this year as it launches a dozen new models, including the A1 subcompact.

Although BMW  has yet to publish its accounts, it is almost certain that Audi surpassed its Bavarian rival, Daimler’s Mercedes-Benz and even future sibling Porsche as the most profitable premium carmaker in the world — underlining its importance to parent VW. MORE»

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BMW Chairman Confirms New Small Car to Share Mini Platform

FROM AUTOMOBILE MAG:  Tradition holds that BMW vehicles are either rear- or all-wheel-drive, but that mantra seems to be shifting. Executives have confirmed that the company is developing a small car to slot underneath the 1-series, and it will be front-wheel-drive.

Rumors suggesting a baby Bimmer, riding upon the same platform as the next-generation Mini, have been floating for some time now, but chairman Norbert Reithofer told Autocar the company actually is working on such a model.  MORE»

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F1 legend Moss recovering after elevator shaft fall

 FROM FOX SPORTS:  British motor racing legend Sir Stirling Moss was recovering in the hospital Monday after he was nearly killed falling down an elevator shaft at home.
Moss tumbled 30 feet and broke both his ankles, suffering four broken bones, gashes and four chipped vertebrae.

He underwent surgery to have pins and plates attached to his shattered bones after the fall from the third floor of his up-market pad in London’s Mayfair on Saturday. MORE»

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Opel, Chevrolet complementary brands as GM competes globally

FROM DETROIT FREE PRESS: Chevrolet is GM’s best-selling brand, the engine that drives the automaker’s U.S. operations, with 1.3 million sales in 2009. Opel, too, is vital to GM.

It’s GM’s No. 1 brand in the important European market, with 1.2 million sales last year. That makes Opel GM’s second-biggest brand worldwide by a wide margin. It exceeded Buick, Cadillac and GMC’s combined U.S. sales by more than 2 1/2 -to-1 last year.

Opel is the yin to Chevy’s yang. The brands are vitally complementary as GM shapes its new global strategy. Neither is complete — or able to compete with global automakers like Ford, Toyota and Volkswagen — without the other. MORE»

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F is for finance in F1

Virgin Racing's new F1 car for the 2010 Formula One season

 FROM BBC NEWS:  It used to cost up to $400m (£266m; 292m euros) to set up and run a F1 team – a financial fact, which has created almost an oligopoly of three or four teams at the front of the grid.  MORE»

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Chrysler Gearing Up for Dodge Viper Finale