Volkswagen (1998-2010) Ball Joint Right (passenger Side) Lemfoerder + Warranty on 2040-parts.com

Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance 2014 preview

The driving directions to the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance tell you that this is an event held in a very special place. Whether you’re arriving from San Francisco, Los Angeles, Santa Cruz or Monterey, Pebble Beach is one of the world’s premier automotive events. In the words of the organisers, “only the most beautiful and rare cars are invited to appear on the famed 18th fairway of Pebble Beach Golf Links”, with “connoisseurs of art and style” gathering to admire the masterpieces.

Kia GT concept (2011) at Frankfurt motor show

When CAR visited Kia’s Korean test facility in Namyang back in April 2011, there were several clues to suggest the company was looking into some kind of high-performance saloon: we saw an M3 and a Nissan GT-R in the car park, plus a senior engineer told us that he and the team often pondered what it would be like to build a – very specific this – V6 turbo, rear-wheel drive sports coupe. Board members, meanwhile, suggested we wait until the 2011 Frankfurt motor show to see what performance treats they had planned. Well, here’s the first glimpse of what all those clues could mean: the Kia GT.

Detroit auto show: Autoweek editors' picks

The press conferences are over (our feet are killing us), our staff has stopped wrestling, and the ballots are counted. The 2014 Detroit auto show had dozens of never-before-seen cars and trucks gleaming under the Cobo Center lights. Here are the four we, the Autoweek staff, think stood out the most.