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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.

Infiniti Q50 Revealed: 2013 Detroit Auto Show

The new Infiniti Q50 – replacing the G37 and the first of Infiniti’s ‘Q’ badged cars – has been revealed at the 2013 Detroit Auto Show. The Q50 is still unmistakably an Infiniti – but a better looking one – with the trademark curves and grill still intact but with a bit of added oomph from a new look inspired by the Infiniti LE Concept we saw in New York last spring. The Infiniti Q50 is both longer and wider than the old G37 – lower too – and a lot slippier, with a drag coefficient of just 0.26 thanks to the sleeker bodywork and lower stance.

RenaultSport Clio 200: Paris 2012

Renault has unveiled the Clio RenaultSport 200 at the Paris Motor Show with a 1.6 litre turbo engine delivering 200bhp. The latest version of the Clio RS forgoes its naturally aspirated 2.0 litre engine for a turbo 1.6 litre delivering the same 200bhp but more torque – up more than 10 per cent. What dropping the 1.6 turbo has done to the Clio is make it more economical – Renault say it is 25 per cent more fuel efficient and, obviously, emissions drop comparably.