1981 Olds Omega. Oem, Rh Tail Light on 2040-parts.com

Who killed Pontiac? Ask Bob Lutz

Bob Lutz is not a man who can be contained within 140 characters. This past weekend he spoke at the Petersen as part of the Inside the MotoMan Studio series, hosted by friend of Autoweek George Notaras (past events have been with Ralph Gilles and Derek Jenkins). Lutz talked at length about his childhood in Switzerland, early memories working for Ford and Chrysler, the time he swayed BMW management away from building Mercedes-like luxoboats, and what Lee Iacocca was really like behind closed doors.

Gemballa Mistrale Porsche Panamera revealed

Gemballa has released information on the Porsche Panamera Gemballa Mistrale But there might be an answer to that quandary – turn your attention to the Porsche Panamera. Gemballa has just released preliminary details on the Gemballa Mistrale, a Porsche Panamera conversion which throws a bit of Gemballa madness at Stuttgart’s latest offering. Details are still a bit limited – and we don’t have any info yet on what Gemballa has done with the oily bits – but we do have the picture you see here, which shows the cosmetic stuff.

Mazda prices 2012 Mazda 5 from $19,990

Mazda will sell its six-passenger 2012 Mazda5 van for a base price of $19,990, including shipping, when it goes on sale in January. The 2012 Mazda5, which Mazda calls a multi-activity vehicle, saw its North American debut at the Los Angeles auto show earlier this month. Mazda increased the base price by $730 compared to the 2010 Mazda5.