Arias Pistons 12.5:1 Compression 82mm Bore Honda B-series on 2040-parts.com

Rockin' Supercar: The Rebirth, Short Life, and Death of a Shark-Fin-Equipped '85 Toyota Tercel Wagon

Sometimes a very ordinary car becomes something special, maybe even loved, but that's not always enough to keep it out of the jaws of the crusher. This is the story of a second-gen Toyota Tercel wagon (known in Japan as the Sprinter Carib) and its journey from auction to lumber-hauler to kid transportation to a Chinese steel factory. Around the turn of the century, while I was working at a doomed dot-com in San Francisco's South of Market neighborhood, I discovered that the city auctioned off all the unclaimed tow-away cars every week at nearby Pier 70.

Money flows at Monterey Auctions

Buyers of classic vehicles have dug deep into their pockets at auctions on the Monterey Peninsula, easily topping the sales totals from last year with one auction still remaining. More than $203 million has been spent on 704 vehicles, for an average sale price of $288,360. In 2011, the auction houses set a record for total sales during Pebble Beach week at $197,732,538 having been spent on 881 vehicles for an average sale price of $224,441.

Magna mulls Pininfarina takeover

Canadian-Austrian parts supplier Magna International Inc. is weighing a proposal to buy Italian design specialist Pininfarina S.p.A., three sources with direct knowledge of the matter told Automotive News Europe. Earlier this month, Pininfarina's quarterly earnings report disclosed that the company could be sold as soon as Dec.