Collins Adf 650a 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.

Skoda Superb Estate – UK details

The Skoda Superb Estate We got the launch of the Skoda Superb Estate at the Frankfurt Motor Show back in September, a month or so after Skoda did the usual tease with the Superb Estate. As we said at the time, it makes you wonder why people buy more expensive ‘Prestige’ estates when the Superb offers so much. I guess it’s just badge-snobbery.

Spyker, Youngman plan to build Saab-based cars

Dutch supercar maker Spyker says it will form two joint ventures with China's Zhejiang Youngman to produce Saab-based vehicles and a luxury SUV under the terms of a deal that will give Youngman a 29.9-percent share in Spyker. Youngman was one of the Chinese companies Spyker turned to for investment when it was trying to revive the Saab brand under its ownership. After failing to get approval for the sale from General Motors, a former Saab owner, the deal with Youngman collapsed and Saab was declared bankrupt in December 2011.