1972-80 Mercedes Benz 450 Center Console Rockerswitch W107 107 W116 03812600 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.

Volkswagen Golf R confirmed for America

Enthusiasts spoke, and Volkswagen listened. VW announced Thursday that the diminutive and powerful Golf R is coming to the United States in 2012. VW said the Golf R will have a 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder with a significant increase in horsepower over the 200-hp GTI.

Auctioneer Dean Kruse's money woes continue

Auburn, Ind., auctioneer Dean Kruse has been ordered by a local court to pay more than $1.3 million to an Indiana bank, and a leasing company has asked a federal judge to repossess Kruse's 1985 Cessna jet, which had been insured at $3.5 million. These two recent events are on top of several months' worth of financial woes for one of the classic-car world's best-known auctioneers. AutoWeek reported in August that people from across the country were complaining that they had not been paid for cars sold at various Kruse International auctions.