1930 Chevy 4 Dr Sedan Front & Rear Seat Springs on 2040-parts.com

Secrets of bidders: Is this your year to steal a car at the Arizona auctions?

Each January, enthusiasts flock to Arizona for the most exciting events on the auction calendar. Seven companies--Barrett-Jackson, RM Auctions, Gooding & Co., Russo and Steele, Kruse International, ICA Auctions and Silver Auctions--will duke it out, with more than 3,000 collector cars on the block. But with real estate tanking, the economy in a tailspin, consumer confidence at an all-time low, retail car sales bottoming and automakers begging for loans in Washing-ton, is this any time to buy an old car at auction?

Volkswagen wants Karmann

VW wants to buy Karmann Just like all the other specialist coachbuilders out there – Zagato, Pininfarina, etc – life has not been a bed of roses for a long time for Karmann. Once a great way for wealthy owners to ‘Customise’ their cars, the specialist coachbuilders have relied more and more on relationships with big car makers to survive. None more so than Karmann, whose hopes for survival rested on VW divvying up an order for electric cars.

Ford engine plant builds number 10 million

Ford's 90-degree, overhead-cam Modular V8 has covered a wide spectrum since it was introduced in 1991--powering luxury cars, SUVs, pickups and high-performance sports cars. A large number of those engines have come from a Ford plant in Romeo, Mich., which has now built its 10-millionth engine--a 4.6-liter V8 that is headed for a 2010 Mustang GT. The Romeo engine plant was converted from a tractor factory.