2006 Kia Sportage Passenger Front Door Hinges Oem 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.

Mercedes Vision S500 plug-in Hybrid Concept at Frankfurt

The Mercedes S500 Hybrid Plug-In will show at Frankfurt Update: Mercedes has now confirmed our S500 Hybrid story and we have images of the S500 hybrid at the bottom of the page The S500 Vision will feature a V6 petrol engine paired with a 10kw lithium-ion battery pack and a 44kw motor. This combination will allow the hybrid Mercedes to travel over 18 miles on battery power alone. When the battery discharges the electric motor will power up the petrol engine.

It's Viper vs. Viper at the Duel in the Desert

Dodge Motorsports is starting its own celebrity race to rival the long-running Toyota Long Beach event. The Duel in the Desert inaugural Dodge Viper Celebrity Challenge will air on the Versus network on Oct. 9 at 3 p.m.