1960 Chevy Hood Latch Plate Bracket on 2040-parts.com

Watch the sad, final moments of a crusher-bound heap

Automotive wrecking yards are good places to reflect on the real-world values of heavily depreciated vehicles versus global current scrap-metal prices, and to see which cars have suddenly had the fix-it-versus-total-it line moved by insurance companies (the early-21st-century Subaru Legacy Outback, for example, appeared in large numbers in high-turnover wrecking yards just during the last year, as fairly minor collision damage on these cars is no longer worth fixing). You'll see the things that a car's last owner does in a desperate attempt to sell (or at least live with) an increasingly decrepit heap (as we learned in "Repo Man," you really will find a Little Tree in every car). During a recent trip to a San Jose, Calif., yard, I encountered this sad yet strangely compelling scene.

Brabus Mercedes S350 Bluetec ECO PowerXtra D6S kit

Mercedes S350 BlueTEC with Brabus ECO PowerXtra D6S kit The headline is a bit of a garbled eyeful at first glance. But that’s because although Brabus are pushing their new ECO PowerXtra D6S kit already attached to the Mercedes S350 BlueTEC, it can be attached to any other Mercedes running the same V6 3.0 litre diesel lump – like the Mercedes E350 CDI BlueEFFICIENCY we reviewed recently. The BRABUS ECO PowerXtra D6S is a stand-alone, plug and play device that is integrated into the CAN data bus of the car, not just a quick flash remap of the ECU.

Vauxhall's new two-seat EV city car concept (2011)

Alongside the Astra GTC and Zafira Tourer, Vauxhall (and thus Opel) is unveiling something a little more ‘out there’ at the 2011 Frankfurt motor show. It’s this tiny city car, which won’t have a name until the official unveiling next week. And this Vauxhall concept car is what exactly?