Hurst 3838505 Automatic Shifter Promatic Powerglide Kit on 2040-parts.com

Ram future products: Commercial vans joining the lineup

With a big lift from its Fiat partner, Chrysler Group's Ram truck brand is moving beyond its core pickup truck business into commercial vans. The first entry will be the Ram CV cargo van, a panel van without rear windows. The Ram CV is a version of the Dodge Grand Caravan minivan that has been reworked for cargo use and rebranded as a Ram.

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.

1938 Bugatti 57C, 1962 Ferrari 330 LM win Amelia Island concours

A 1938 Bugatti 57C of the Off Brothers Collection of Richland, Mich., and a 1962 Ferrari 330 LM owned by Jim Jaeger of Cincinnati, Ohio, were named Best in Show winners on Sunday at the 17th-annual Amelia Island Concours d'Elegance in Amelia Island, Fla. Amelia gives two Best in Show awards, one for elegance and one for sport.