Relaxed Elegance: Dana Point Concours d'Elegance is pure fun

Twenty-nine years ago, the event was called the Newport Beach Concours d'Elegance, and that title was on the tickets until 2010, when it was changed to the Dana Point Concours d'Elegance. That's fitting, as it's been held at the upscale St. Regis Monarch Beach Resort in tony Dana Point, Calif., for four years.

50,000 copies of the 2012 Honda Civic recalled over driveshaft issue

About 50,000 copies of the 2012 Honda Civic are being recalled because of a potential issue with the left driveshaft. The automaker claims that the driveshaft “may not have been properly assembled, potentially allowing it to separate from the outer CV joint while in operation.” While such a separation could result in total loss of power to the wheels and the inability to securely park the vehicle without the use of the parking brake, Honda claims that no incidents related to the issue have been reported. Earlier this year, Honda recalled about 45,800 Honda Odyssey minivans for faulty tailgate struts, 8,700 Honda Pilot and Acura MDX SUVs to fix a problem in the fuel tank, and 1,300 copies of the Honda CR-V to correct a control-arm problem.

A Fine Day For Birmingham Police

POLICE in Birmingham have discovered they are not immune from traffic fines, after figures released by West Midlands Police show that local law enforcement have fallen foul of the city’s tough stance on bus lane offenders. In a hard-line approach, which had drawn criticism from some drivers, Birmingham City Council put up new signs on existing bus lanes in the heart of the city barring all other vehicles from using them and enforcing the rule with traffic cameras to catch the culprits who flout the ban. As a result, a reported 60,000 fines were issued by the end of last year following the scheme's launch in September, with police drivers accounting for 408 of those transgressions and individual drivers responsible for payment of the fine.