Stig outed as Ben Collins – again

The Stig is Ben Collins It’s a game Top Gear has played since the days of ‘Black Stig’ (Perry McCarthy – F1 almost was) – Who is the Stig? Not only has it provided the Beeb with an endless run of free publicity as everyone and his dog speculates on the Stig’s identity, they’ve even made money on the back of the Stig’s identity with Stig-focused games and goodies from the gloriously tacky range of Top Gear ephemera. And this last week Stiggy has been in the news as he tries to get his memoirs published – Stig: The Autobiography – much to the consternation of the Beeb, who believe his contract gives him no chance of revealing his identity.

Volt, Leaf win top safety rating in crash test

The 2011 Chevrolet Volt and Nissan Leaf electric cars won the highest safety ratings in crash tests performed by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, putting them in the top 57 percent of models tested so far this year. About 80 of 140 vehicles tested among 2011-2012 models have received the Institute's "top safety pick," the group's award for state-of-the-art crash protection that exceeds federal safety rules, Institute spokesman Russ Rader said. The Volt and Leaf received a "good" rating -- the highest of four rankings -- on each of four crash tests, said the Institute, which is funded by auto insurers including State Farm, All-State and Geico.

Petersen museum executive director to retire

The executive director of the Petersen Automotive Museum is retiring after a 12-year-run at the helm of one of the nation's preeminent car collections. Richard Messer is stepping down to concentrate on other business interests. He will be replaced by Buddy Pepp on June 15.