1970-1975 Citroen Sm Hood Latch Lock on 2040-parts.com

Watch the sad, final moments of a crusher-bound heap

Automotive wrecking yards are good places to reflect on the real-world values of heavily depreciated vehicles versus global current scrap-metal prices, and to see which cars have suddenly had the fix-it-versus-total-it line moved by insurance companies (the early-21st-century Subaru Legacy Outback, for example, appeared in large numbers in high-turnover wrecking yards just during the last year, as fairly minor collision damage on these cars is no longer worth fixing). You'll see the things that a car's last owner does in a desperate attempt to sell (or at least live with) an increasingly decrepit heap (as we learned in "Repo Man," you really will find a Little Tree in every car). During a recent trip to a San Jose, Calif., yard, I encountered this sad yet strangely compelling scene.

Audi A5 Sportback (2009) teaser photo, sketch and video

By Ben Pulman First Official Pictures 17 June 2009 00:01 This is the first picture of Audi’s new A5 Sportback, essentially an (oxymoronic) four-door version of its A5 Coupe. It’s the first time Audi has officially acknowledged the existence of the car, and along with the solitary photo, the company has also issued a design sketch and video to drum up interest ahead of the A5 Sportback’s launch later in 2009. Bingo – that’s exactly Ingolstadt’s catchphrase for the new car.

Concept Car of the Week: Dodge Charger III (1968)

In 1968, at the dawn of the muscle car era, the performance-oriented Dodge brand offered a unique range of powerful and iconic models such as the Charger, the Dart and the Coronet. While working in parallel on the Mk II production Charger, designers and engineers created the third in a series of concept cars carrying the same name that aimed to showcase futuristic design and technological innovations to arouse the public and test its reaction. Dodge general manager Robert B.