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Island tour kicks off Hilton Head weekend

Intermittent sun and cool temperatures greeted the several dozen participants in the Hilton Head Island Motoring Festival and Concours d’Elegance “behind the gates” driving tour Friday, kicking off the concours weekend. The 30-some mile tour wound in and out of several gated communities near Hilton Head Island, stopping at various points along the way for people to get a view of the cars. The tour featured an eclectic mix of vehicles, something not always seen in events such as this.

Artega SE & GT (2011) at the Geneva motor show

German sports car maker Artega brought the current GT and the SE, an electric version of the obscure man’s Cayman, to the 2011 Geneva motor show. Artega… remind me who they are again? Artega was founded in 2006 in Dalbruch, Germany with the involvement of Karl Heinz Kalbfell, a well-known industry executive formerly of BMW, Rolls-Royce, Alfa Romeo and Maserati (he’s now at Lotus).

How Fisker fell apart

At last week's politically charged congressional hearing on the troubles of Fisker Automotive, Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, said that the company had "no business acumen" and that "taxpayers have effectively subsidized luxury novelty vehicles for the likes of Justin Bieber, Leonardo DiCaprio and Al Gore." Ouch. Republicans eager to score points against President Obama had a field day last week with Fisker.