Vintage Ford Heater. 40's Truck (?) Rat Rod on 2040-parts.com

Insurance group lists its Top Safety Picks

After increasing its standards for 2011 models, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety says that 66 vehicles--more than double the 2010 total--rate as best in the industry at protecting passengers from front, side, rollover and rear crashes. Only 27 vehicles qualified last year after the group, funded by the insurance industry, required that vehicles pass a roof-strength test to earn a good rating, claiming that stronger roofs would reduce the risk of serious or fatal injury by 50 percent in a rollover accident. The most mentioned carmakers on the 2011 list are Hyundai/Kia and Volkswagen/Audi, both with nine vehicles to get the Top Safety Pick designation.

Porsche Cayman Black Edition revealed

Porsche has revealed its latest limited-run sports car: the Cayman S Black Edition. Created as a send-off for the current Cayman lineup, which is set to be replaced within the next 12 months, the coupe is planned to go on sale in July with a more powerful engine, a larger wheel-and-tire package and greater standard-equipment levels than those of the existing Cayman S. Taking a page from Henry Ford, the Cayman S Black Edition is available in any color you like--as long as it's black Inside, the Porsche gets black trims, black sport seats, a sport steering wheel, darkened instrument graphics, stainless-steel scuff plates with “Black Edition” inscriptions and a commemorative badge identifying it as one of a limited build of 500 units.

Is Ferrari for sale?

Reports out of Europe have Fiat considering selling a big chunk of Ferrari S.p.A. to raise cash so it can increase its stake in Chrysler Group to 51 percent. The Italian newspaper Il Corriere della Sera said it has gathered information at Fiat’s Turin headquarters and reported Fiat wants to raise cash to fund buying 51 percent of Chrysler, up from the 20 percent it owns now.