Show Review: Salon Privé 2011

Salon Privé is billed as Britain's most elite car show and, with its lashings of pink champagne, lobster barbecue and attendees who look to have taken a wrong turn from the UK scripted-reality show, Made in Chelsea, it's certainly the glitziest. This year Salon Privé moved from its traditional home of The Hurlingham Club, just a (precious) stone's throw from the real-life set of the aforementioned show, to the grounds of Syon House in outer West London. Home to the Duke of Northumberland, Syon House's Italian Renaissance architecture and lush grounds provide a fitting background for such an event although those familiar with the locales of Villa d'Este on the shores of Lake Como, the Goodwood Festival of Speed in the heart of Lord March's idyllic West Sussex estate or the dramatic Californian coastline of Pebble Beach may be disappointed.

Toyota: Fixes are working on recalled vehicles

Toyota maintains that the fixes being made to correct unintended acceleration in millions of recalled vehicles are sufficient. But at a press event Monday, company officials said they are willing to bring in as many independent researchers as needed to resolve the issue once and for all. “We don't think there is a ghost issue out there,” said Kristen Tabar, general manager of electronic systems at the Toyota Technical Center in Ann Arbor, Mich.

GM’s Henderson offers a ray of hope for Sky, Solstice

There appears to be a slight glimmer of hope for fans of the Saturn Sky and the Pontiac Solstice. CEO Fritz Henderson said that General Motors would be willing to sell its Wilmington, Del., plant, which builds the Sky and the Solstice--two eye-catching performance cars--if a buyer specifically wanted those niche products, similar to what Chrysler offered with its Dodge Viper business.