One Lap of the Web: California, Corvette

-- Los Angeles is a city so tied to dysfunctional traffic that locals give it nicknames. Carmageddon, Rampture, Carmageddon II -- construction closure names become coping mechanisms. Hence Jamzilla, the name given to the closure of the 405 Freeway this long President's Day weekend, serving to impede the wanton roaming of Angelenos just when they finally have time to do so.

New Mercedes-Benz SL to use aluminum to cut weight

The next Mercedes-Benz SL coupes will get more power, less weight and a few neat tricks, including features named Magic Vision Control and FrontBass. We'll get our first look at the new car at the Detroit auto show in January. A few journalists were invited to take a sneak peak at the car during the Los Angeles auto show, but pictures and video weren't allowed.

Not every Chrysler dealer gets to sell SRT Viper

The redesigned 2013 SRT Viper will be sold at about one in five Chrysler Group dealerships, says Ralph Gilles, head of the high-performance SRT brand. To qualify for the sports car, dealerships will have to train staff, buy special tools and improve their facilities. "We're going to open it up to any dealer who can put the money forward and the training, but it's going to be pretty difficult to hit all of those things," Gilles said during a broadcast interview with journalists in Detroit this month.