Mini factory celebrates its 100th birthday

A bastion of the British car-building industry, Mini’s ‘Plant Oxford’ in Cowley, Oxford celebrates 100 years of building cars today (28 March 2013). Currently responsible for producing the second-gen BMW Mini range, Plant Oxford has been the birthplace more than just trendy city cars: it’s stamped out over 11.5 million cars since 1913, including legend like the Morris Minor and Frogeye Sprite, and clunkers like the Morris Marina. It also contributed to the war effort by repairing damaged RAF fighter aircraft during the Second World War.

Celebrity chef Guy Fieri's stolen Lamborghini recovered a year later

While it might seem that a thief disappearing into the night with a celebrity's Lamborghini would be something out of a Nicholas Cage movie, it proves that truth sometimes is stranger than fiction. In May 2011, someone broke into the British Motor Car Distributors dealership in San Francisco one night and drove off with a yellow 2008 Lamborghini Gallardo Spyder. The Lambo, owned by celebrity chef and friend of Autoweek Guy Fieri, was seemingly lost forever.

Bankruptcy looms for cash-starved Saab

The future is growing dim for Saab. Reports from Europe say the Swedish courts might soon declare Saab bankrupt--possibly as soon as Wednesday--because the company is out of cash. Saab recently won court protection from its creditors while it waited for funds.