Spare Tire Hoist Dorman 924-520 on 2040-parts.com

Opel design boss dismissed

Newly appointed Opel design boss Dave Lyon has been dismissed by parent company General Motors, less than a week before he was set to take over the position at the company's troubled European subsidiary in Russelsheim, Germany. Lyon, who was set to receive Opel's design operations from current boss Mark Adams on Aug. 1, was reportedly escorted from GM design headquarters in Michigan late last week under mysterious circumstances.

Rain doesn't dampen spirits at Orphan Car Show

With rain falling as the show cars arrived, organizers worried that moving the 15th-annual Ypsilanti Orphan Car Show from its original June weekend to late September wasn't going to work out after all. It was rescheduled last year after heavy rain in June and participants voted to make the change permanent. Fortunately, the rain blew over before the gates opened to spectators and Sunday turned out to be as nice a day as Saturday, when more than 30 entrants enjoyed a tour to view the extensive Nash collection that Ken and Mary Ann Havekost have accumulated in Monroe, Mich.

Automotive Archaeology: Chicago collector creates gems from the junkyard

Chicago-area native Joe Bortz began collecting cars in 1962 with no idea that he'd become renowned for having possibly the world's best collection of significant concept cars. More than 40 years later, that's an honor Bortz wears with pride, but it speaks to only a part of his collection of machinery. Bortz's car-collecting passion began with a 1928 Chevrolet Landau coupe.