One Lap of the Web: Remembering Ayrton Senna

-- Hard to believe it's been 20 years since the passing of Formula One legend Ayrton Senna, but one Jalopnik reader remembers the bloody weekend in San Marino vividly. A dream vacation in Europe cumulating in the ill-fated Grand Prix: Alan Dahl saw Senna's wrecked car coming into the pits, but like the rest of the crowd, he wouldn't find out Senna's fate until he left the track. "For years afterwards I felt guilty that, not knowing that the tragedy had happened," he said, "that I had fun at the race." -- The excellent 8W, a site of racing driver stories, recounts the last 96 hours of Senna's life.

Kia, Chrysler, VW set pace as December sales advance 9 percent

Kia, Chrysler and Volkswagen posted some of the strongest sales gains for December as the industry closed out 2011 on a high note. Automotive News estimates December volume was up 9 percent to 1.24 million from a year earlier--in line with analysts' forecasts. Total industry sales were projected at 12.78 million for the year, up from 2010's total of 11.6 million and the 27-year low of 10.4 million in 2009.

Chrysler 200 revealed before Detroit auto show debut

A few days before its reveal at the Detroit auto show, photos of the upcoming 2015 Chrysler 200 have appeared online. This is the midsize sedan's first major restyling since its debut in 2010, and its exterior styling has been toned down somewhat from the first-generation version of the 200, made famous for its 2011 appearance in Chrysler's "Imported from Detroit" Super Bowl spot. That's right, that was the 200 in that ad, not the larger Chrysler 300.