Engine Coolant Temperature Sensor Original Eng Mgmt 9363 on 2040-parts.com

Watch the sad, final moments of a crusher-bound heap

Automotive wrecking yards are good places to reflect on the real-world values of heavily depreciated vehicles versus global current scrap-metal prices, and to see which cars have suddenly had the fix-it-versus-total-it line moved by insurance companies (the early-21st-century Subaru Legacy Outback, for example, appeared in large numbers in high-turnover wrecking yards just during the last year, as fairly minor collision damage on these cars is no longer worth fixing). You'll see the things that a car's last owner does in a desperate attempt to sell (or at least live with) an increasingly decrepit heap (as we learned in "Repo Man," you really will find a Little Tree in every car). During a recent trip to a San Jose, Calif., yard, I encountered this sad yet strangely compelling scene.

Detroit designs the future

Every time I walk into the College for Creative Studies here in Detroit, I am completely blown away by the students' talent level. Recently I went to CCS, as we call it around here, for the Michelin Challenge Design. You can see the work here.

Mecum auctions classic muscle cars in Florida

The action is over in Arizona but the Mecum auction in Kissimmee, Fla., is just heating up. Day one is done, with total sales passing $4 million. More than 70 percent of the lots that crossed the block were sold.