Volvo S-40 Airbag Ecu Module 30724652 on 2040-parts.com

Building a business around Alfa lust

In a low-key industrial complex just north of Detroit sits a trove of 1960s and '70s Alfa Romeos. To describe it as a “treasure” trove doesn't quiet fit, because in the words of owner Richard Davisson, the Italian icons are “everything from pathetic to just about done.” Several of the dozen or so cars are gorgeous. Most are interesting.

Skoda Fabia GreenLine does 127mpg in the hands of Gerhard Plattner

Hyper-miler Gerhard Plattner with the 127mpg Skoda Fabia GreenLine That rings a bell, we thought. A guy called Gerhard Plattner doing mega-miles in a Skoda. And then we remembered that two years ago the same guy managed to average 100mpg on  a trip in a SEAT Ibiza ECOMOTIVE between Barcelona to Germany.

News watch July 2012: today's auto industry news

Welcome to CAR Magazine's news aggregator as we round up the daily stories in the auto industry. Top tip: news summaries are added from the top hour-by-hour Tuesday 31 July 2012•Porsche SE recorded a first half profit of €1.15bn, in comparison with €149m for the same period in 2011. The enormous jump has come not from directly selling cars, but from the group's investments in Porsche Zwischenholding GmbH and Volkswagen AG (Porsche SE)•Reuters suggests Germany's car market is in recession, but few outside the industry would know it, thanks to a controversial sales practice that inflates official statistics and paints a flattering picture of demand.