1960-1981 Pontiac Automatic Torque Converter Cover on 2040-parts.com

The first Volkswagen Beetle in America looked like this

On Jan. 17, 1949, the Holland America Line Westerdam pulled into New York Harbor from Rotterdam carrying the seed of an automotive empire. It had been only four years since Volkswagen resurrected operations in Wolfsburg, the factory heavily ruined by Allied forces and now under the command of Major Ivan Hirst.

What you missed at the Detroit auto show

Press days for the 2014 Detroit auto show wrapped up on Tuesday, and the sum total was more big reveals than we can shake a stick shift at. Production cars included the Ford F-150, Corvette Z06, BMW M3 and M4, Subaru WRX STI and the Porsche 911 Targa, while on the concept front we saw the Toyota FT-1, Nissan Sport Sedan and Kia GT4 Stinger just to name a few. Here are some of our favorites, in no particular order.

Ford site weighs F-150 against rivals

Ford has launched a comparison Web site for the F-150 pickup that illustrates how its truck stacks up against the competition--packed with video footage, testimonials and data. On the site, you can choose to dive into "torture test" footage of the F-150, or you can opt to complete the head-to-head pickup comparison test to find the F-150 engine that best suits your needs, and how it compares with rival trucks. First, visitors are prompted to select whether the engine will be used for work or play, how much weight it will be required to haul (up to 2,860 pounds) and how many pounds it will need to tow (up to 11,300).