1964-1967 Corvette Headlight Switchterminal Connector on 2040-parts.com

Mercury lives--on the auction circuit

James Dean famously drove one in Rebel Without a Cause, and perhaps Mercurys have never been cooler. That was more than 50 years ago and the brand is now on the verge of extinction. But as Plymouth, Pontiac and even Edsel have shown, some brands have legs that stretch long after new cars are gone from dealerships.

Aston Martin V12 Vantage S Roadster arrives with 565bhp – the quickest Aston Roadster ever

The new Aston Martin V12 Vantage S Roadster arrives The Aston Martin V12 Vantage S – revealed in 2013 – has lost its roof and turned in to the quickest open-top car Aston Martin has ever produced. The Aston Martin V12 Vantage S Roadster gets the same 5.9 litre V12 as the tin-top model, which means a 0-60mph of 3.9 seconds (0-62mph 4.1s) and a top speed of 201mph, both figures just below the coupe but enough to make this the fastest production Aston Roadster ever. The V12 engine also offers delicious lumps of torque, with 457lb/ft – and most of that available almost from tickover – all delivered to the back wheels through the Graziano 7-speed automated manual ‘box.

Ferrari 550 Barchetta Zagato GTZ sells at Bonhams

The Ferrari 550 Barchetta Zagato GTZ - fetched £350k at Bonhams Regular readers may remember that we exclusively reported that Zagato were working on five Ferrari 550 Barchettas to create the Ferrari 550 GTZ just over a year ago. That report caused all sorts of grief as Zagato and their photographer threatened us with all manner of hellfire and brimstone for spoiling their secret. The resulting grief meant we had to take down their photos, but our story stood.