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More than a (gull)wing and a prayer

They make up just six percent of Mercedes car sales in the United States—but nothing preserves and proliferates the top-shelf, seductive image of a Benz like a sports car. This is a point that's been driven home to me in a wide array of circumstances this year: Mercedes sports cars are still rock stars. I'll admit, I've often been a skeptic.

Who is the mystery motorcyclist in these vintage photos?

Automotive photographer Nigel Harniman was riding around the Costa Del Arcane in Spain when he chanced upon a flea market with a Kodak Brownie 127, a legend of 1950s photography -- simple and popular, it sold in the millions between 1952 and 1967. "Anyone as old as me remembers their parents or grandparents owning a Brownie," Harniman said. The Bakelite construction was intact, and its canvas case was in great shape.

Chevrolet rolls out high-performance tires and wheels for the 2012 Corvette

The introduction of high-performance tires and racing-style wheels for the Z06 and ZR1 models is the major change to the Chevrolet Corvette for the 2012 model year, according to information being posted at Corvette fan sites on the Internet. Info is leaking out as Chevy is set to officially talk about the 2012 Vette during the annual C5/C6 Bash fan event at the National Corvette Museum in Bowling Green, Ky., this weekend. Look for some official news on April 28.