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The no-show cars: a reader rant on mad concepts

Instigated by Harley Earl at General Motors in the late 30s with the quaintly named Buick Y-Job, show cars, or concept cars, were presented to an excited public eager for new things. As the world recovered from a depression and then a war, these vehicles pointed to a better future that many people believed in, including the people who produced them. And, although many of the concept cars of the 50s, with their Jetsons plexiglass roofs and notional nuclear powered engines seem ludicrous now, in their time they weren’t that cynical.

Audi R8 V10 sells for $500,000 at charity auction

Which would you pay more for--a V10-powered Audi R8 or the new Ferrari California? At the third annual Boca Raton Concours d'Elegance in Florida last weekend, the Audi R8--the first one in the United States equipped with the 5.2-liter V10--was the winner in a charity auction, selling for $500,000, well above the car's sticker price of $180,000. Meanwhile, the Ferrari California was snapped up for $350,000, a bit more than the $225,000 sticker price.

Skoda Superb at Geneva

By Mark Walton Motor Shows 07 March 2008 17:26 What’s new on Skoda’s Geneva Motor Show stand?Skoda launched its second-generation Superb, aimed at the mid-sized, middle class Mondeo market. It’s a handsome car, with more than a little 1990s BMW 5-Series in it – from the way the bonnet meets the headlight glass, to the famous ‘Hofmeister Kink’ in the C pillar. But that’s not necessarily a bad thing.