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.

Bentley Mulsanne Birkin celebrates legendary ‘Tiger Tim’

The 2014 Detroit Motor Show might make it seem like the Americans are getting all the exciting toys right now, but this new limited edition Bentley Mulsanne does its bit for those of us on the other side of the Atlantic pond. Called the Bentley Mulsanne Birkin Limited Edition, and based on Bentley’s range-topping model, it will only be sold in Europe, and is only available in extremely limited numbers. So summon the butler, by Jove.

McLaren MP4-12C launches into production

It's finally happening. Perhaps the most anticipated British sports car in at least a decade--the McLaren MP4-12C--has gone into production. McLaren announced the news on Wednesday, and as many as 1,000 copies of the potent speedster will be built this year.