Monthly sales projected to rise 15 percent, J.D. Power says

December is shaping up to show the U.S. industry's strongest year-over-year sales increase of what's been a dismal 2009. Expect a 15 percent spike in new vehicle sales in December, powered by a retail surge, according to projections released today by industry forecaster J.D.

Vintage photos show Ford Mustang I and the elusive XD Cobra

It's hardly surprising that our readers want to share their memories of the Ford Mustang -- 50 years is a long time for an automotive nameplate to endure, and the model's upcoming 50th anniversary is as good excuse as any to look back on the experiences that have made the car an enthusiast hit. Take William Drew, who had a close encounter with pony car history when he saw the Mustang I concept, plus a rare Ghia-bodied Shelby Cobra concept, at an auto dealer in Dallas in 1970. His slides (taken with a Yashica camera, he notes) show the unusual cars in the nice, bright colors of Kodachrome.

McLaren MP4-12C GT3 (& MP4-12C) at Goodwood FoS +video

McLaren MP4-12C GT3 made its debut at the Goodwood FoS We’ve covered just about every car that went up the hillclimb at this year’s Goodwood Festival of Speed. We also managed to send Claire up the hillclimb in the BMW 1M Coupe and let her get up close and personal with the Koenigsegg Agera. So we’ve done the 2011 FoS decent justice.