(1) Oldsmobile Cutlass Steel Wheel 14" X 5.5" Bp: 5 X 101.6mm W. Valve Stem on 2040-parts.com

Arizona auctions: Early days filled with optimism

The sun kept shining--both as a metaphor and in reality--while the cars were selling at the Arizona auctions. As of late Thursday, Barrett-Jackson had completed three of its six days of sales. Preliminary numbers assembled by on-site reporters indicate total sales of $20.2 million at the halfway mark, with 100 percent of the 656 cars on offer sold.

VW 1L and electric Audi R8 (2009) leak early

By Tim Pollard First Official Pictures 14 September 2009 13:44 As usual, the embargos are tumbling ahead of the 2009 Frankfurt motor show – with photos of the new VW 1L concept car and electric Audi R8 spreading like wildfire. Both were supposed to be surprises held for a soirée on the eve of the show. Volkswagen’s 1L concept car is Wolfsburg’s latest incarnation of its cigar-shaped two-seater.

Better Place EV Battery Swap business goes bust

It seemed like a good idea: take the cost of batteries out of the cost of buying an electric car and instead charge EV owners to use ‘Battery Swap’ stations where depleted batteries could be swapped for fully charged ones in the time it takes to fill an ICE car with petrol. But it’s all gone a bit Pete Tong. Better Place – which partnered with Renault in 2009 to make the battery swap technology viable – has failed to find anyone to add to the $750 million already involved in the project and has filed for bankruptcy.