1969 Dz302 Short Block on 2040-parts.com

Cash-for-clunkers gems: Corvettes, Camaros, Mustangs and one infamous Bentley meet the end of the road

By now, the high-profile casualties of cash-for-clunkers are well documented: a Bentley Continental R and an Aston Martin DB7 Volante from 1997 and a 1985 Maserati Quattroporte all perished under the government-funded incentive program. But scratching beneath the surface reveals that scores of everyday enthusiast rides such as Mustangs, Camaros and even some Corvettes met ignominious endings by having their engines destroyed and their bodies crushed. While it’s likely that many of the nearly 700,000 clunkers turned in actually were at the end of their roads, the final report released by the government reveals the demise of plenty of affordable, likely still-fixable cars that could have been enjoyed by collectors of all ages.

2013 Ford Mondeo: Paris 2012

Ford has given the new Mondeo its first public outing at the 2012 Paris Motor Show, and it looks a good effort. But the new 2013 Ford Mondeo no longer has the advantage of being a default buy for families, so Ford are working hard to make the Mondeo stand out from the mainstream offerings in the C/D segment by making it appear to more ‘Premium’ than just a mere Ford. That means a new nose – a nose that looks like it belongs on an Aston Martin – and a clever range of technology and engines that actually offer more – and for less – than most of the premium car makers can manage.

Toyoto Aygo goes Black and Blue

The Aygo was launched back in 2005, as a sub-Yaris city car, and has carved a justifiably successful niche for itself across Europe, selling more than 100,000 in the process. As with all Toyotas it’s well built, and is actually a pretty nimble car with fun driving dynamics. Toyota Aygo updated for 2009 with new additions - The Toyota Aygo Black and The Toyota Aygo Blue The 2009 Aygo gets a few tweaks to improve fuel economy and emissions (now 106g/km) and a few body tweaks, including a re-sculpted nose.