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Once there were Singers, and Jowetts and Rileys, then came the Mini--from the AutoWeek archives

Editor's note: As Mini celebrates its 50th birthday, it's the perfect time to revisit Kevin A. Wilson's insightful look at the fall of the British auto industry. This article was first published on March 8, 1993.

One-off 1990 Corvette ZR-1 Spyder saved from sinkhole; video shows extraction

You'll have to excuse the National Corvette Museum's timing -- museum staff are excited to report that a one-off 1990 Corvette ZR-1 Spyder has just been pulled from the sinkhole that opened up beneath the show floor in February, and they want you to know that this isn't some sort of cruel April 1 hoax. Don't believe us? Just watch the video below There hasn't been much headline-making news out of the Corvette museum since the 1 millionth Corvette built was saved from the sarlacc pit in early March, bringing the number of cars returned to ground level to five.

First Sight: BMW 1 Series

This is the first BMW to compete in the premium lower medium European car class defined by cars such as the Audi A3 and Alfa Romeo 147, although spiritually it follows the significantly smaller BMW 2002 Touring produced from 1968 to 1976. A little more compact that the 3 Series (which will grow in size with next year's new model) the 1 Series effectively replaces the 3 Series-based Compact and extends the brand downward to just above the Mini. The 1 Series was previewed by the CS1 two door convertible concept shown two years ago at Geneva, with which it shares much of its exterior proportions and form, and some interior design themes.