Porsche 959 prototype to cross the block at Barrett-Jackson

When Professor Helmuth Bott arrived at the fledgling Porsche sports-car company in 1952, he was in his late 20s. The young engineer's first assignment was setting up a gearbox test stand for the company's new all-syncromesh Type 519 transaxle. Thirty-one years later, he gave the go-ahead for the development of a car that was to be the ultimate bleeding edge of what Porsche knew about building a rear-engined sports car.

Oprah viewers get keys to 2012 Volkswagen Beetle giveaway cars

The redesigned 2012 Volkswagen Beetle is arriving at dealerships, and some of the first people to get one have waited nearly a year. Talk-show host Oprah Winfrey revealed the Beetle's design silhouette on her "Ultimate Favorite Things" giveaway show in 2010 and told audience members that they would be among the first owners. On Thursday, 276 people got their cars.

VW may add small car or SUV to U.S. plant

Volkswagen may build a small car or an SUV at its new U.S. plant in Tennessee, in addition to the mid-sized sedan that goes into production there next year. VW is considering options for the plant's second product even before it has begun building its first, Tom Loafman, the company's purchasing director, said here last week at the CAR Management Briefing Seminars.