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Insurance group lists its Top Safety Picks

After increasing its standards for 2011 models, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety says that 66 vehicles--more than double the 2010 total--rate as best in the industry at protecting passengers from front, side, rollover and rear crashes. Only 27 vehicles qualified last year after the group, funded by the insurance industry, required that vehicles pass a roof-strength test to earn a good rating, claiming that stronger roofs would reduce the risk of serious or fatal injury by 50 percent in a rollover accident. The most mentioned carmakers on the 2011 list are Hyundai/Kia and Volkswagen/Audi, both with nine vehicles to get the Top Safety Pick designation.

McLaren 12C GT Sprint fills the gap between the 12C & GT3

McLaren 12C GT Sprint (pictured) debuts at Goodwood FoS McLaren has revealed a track car that’s not quite as focused as the 12C GT3 or the Can Am, but a bit more focused than a regular road-going 12C – the McLaren 12C GT Sprint. Built by McLaren’s race car division, the GT Sprint gets the same 616bhp and seven-speed twin clutch gearbox as the regular 12C but with new oil and cooling systems and a new radiator at the front borrowed from the GT3 car, McLaren has had a play with the suspension on the 12C GT Sprint, lowered it by 40mm and fitted racing slicks to make the Sprint a lot firmer and sharper than its road-going sibling. Cosmetically, the GT Sprint gets a new front bumper, a bonnet that looks like it came of the 12C GT3, bigger air ducts and wing louvres and the option of lightweight bodywork and a carbon fibre rear wing to push the price up if you want to spend more.

Scottsdale auction results: Video wrap-ups recount total sales

Now that the 2012 Scottsdale collector-car auctions in Arizona have come to a close, our friends at Hagerty Insurance have wrapped up all the numbers from the auctions in their latest edition of “Hagerty Classic Car TV.” In this episode, host Rob Sass, author Colin Comer and publisher Dave Kinney explore the 2012 sales figures and take a closer look at some of the more memorable vehicles, including a 1948 Tucker Torpedo and a 1955 Mercedes-Benz 300SL alloy Gullwing. Check out the video for all the details.