Buick Skylark 1965 Grill @ Headlite Trim / 3 Pcs. on 2040-parts.com

Cannonball Run seminar at Amelia Island was one for the ages

I don't think I've been to a bad car show, and that includes the local Kamaro Klub in the Dairy Queen parking lot. But I tend to judge the shows by the afterglow--how much you remember a day or two after the event. I tend to remember a lot after every Amelia Island Concours d'Elegance, and that is mostly because the founder, Bill Warner, uses his annual North Florida show to do exactly what you and I would do if we ran a big show--invite our heroes to come talk and invite the cars we'd like to look at ourselves.

Future products: The new Ford has learned to think small

Ford Motor Co., long known for pickups and SUVs, will emphasize cars, crossovers and fuel-efficient engines in the next few years. The company wants to be the fuel economy leader, and federal mpg standards are rising. Ford launched the Fiesta subcompact this summer and will introduce a redesigned Focus compact early next year.

Kia Forte

Kia has released renderings of its 2014 Forte model, known as the K3 in Korea and the Cerato in the European market, ahead of its debut at this year's Los Angeles auto show in November. The renderings show the Kia family tiger nose grille, while a rising line sweeps from the front to the rear, giving the car a much more aggressive stance than its predecessor. A steeply-raked windscreen and blacked-out side window frames, emphasized by a chrome strip around the side graphics, creating a more dynamic profile.