Yamaha 90501-10064-00 Spring, Compression on 2040-parts.com

Documentary looks at history of Batmobiles

Not many cars are as recognizable as the Batmobile, even with its multiple iterations—from the George Barris concept to the Tumbler of the Christopher Nolan trilogy. An upcoming Warner Bros. documentary features interviews with directors of the unforgettable movies by Tim Burton and Christopher Nolan, and the wish-you-could-forget films of Joel Schumacher, all exploring the Batmobile.

UK Ferrari sales outstrip entire Middle East

ITALIAN supercar company Ferrari raced to a record year in 2013 on the back of expanding UK sales, selling more cars in Britain than in the Middle East and Africa combined. As a result the company made an all-time high net profit of 264 million Euros (£217 million) - a 5.4% rise on 2012. A total of 677 Ferraris were sold in the UK, with the nation overtaking Germany as the company's strongest European market and leaving the oil-rich states trailing.

Ford gains ground in customer perception

The Ford brand gained ground in consumers' minds this year as Toyota slipped, though the Japanese juggernaut still leads the pack by a slight margin. Over the last two years, Ford climbed 35 percentage points while Toyota dropped 46 percentage points, according to the latest survey from Consumer Reports. During this time, Ford (144) moved within three points of Toyota (147).