Endurance-drivers seminar highlights Amelia Island concours

If there were a Hall of Fame for endurance drivers, the nine gentlemen assembled on Saturday at the 17th-annual Amelia Island Concours d'Elegance would certainly be members. Event founder and chairman Bill Warner needed 25 minutes just to read off a portion of their lifetime racing accomplishments as he introduced them individually to a packed ballroom at the Ritz-Carlton Amelia Island, home of the event. Hurley Haywood, Vic Elford, Sam Posey, Joe Buzzetta, Gerard Larousse, Brian Redman, Jim Hall, David Hobbs and Derek Bell regaled the audience with tales of their amazing careers.

Volkswagen E-Golf to get limited testing release

Starting in April, Volkswagen of America will launch a test fleet of battery-powered E-Golf cars in select metro areas. More selective than the BMW ActiveE program that included 700 drivers, Volkswagen will release only 20 EVs, 12 of which will be allocated to company employees. Volkswagen said in a release that the purpose of the test is to conduct research and gather information on driving patterns, electric performance and climate conditions.

Nissan X-Trail: news and photos of 2010 facelift

The most inconspicuous facelift award could be a hotly contested category if it existed. Vying for contention, for a second successive generation, would be this: the Nissan X-Trail. Over its 10-year cycle on the roads of Britain, the X-Trail has been subjected a minor nip-tuck facelift and even a complete makeover in 2007.