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Brian Wilson on the Beach Boys' car songs

Brian Wilson, the musical giant behind so much of the Beach Boys great music, sang at the Petersen gala in Los Angeles last week, and there were plenty of songs about cars and drag racing in the mix. "We're going to do a series of car songs because this place has a lot of cars," Wilson announced before leading his 10-piece band into "Little Deuce Coupe," "409," "All Summer Long" and "Shut Down." The band played to a packed house at the museum's annual fundraiser. Wilson's set was surely the most entertaining in the Petersen's 15 years of fundraising galas.

Modified supercars at SEMA 2013 in pictures

The SEMA tuning and modified car show held in that centre of American excess, Las Vegas, is a melting pot for all things automotive. From trucks and busses to family saloons and hatchbacks, aftermarket tuning companies go to work making the wackiest modified versions of every type of vehicle around, showing off their wares at SEMA. Not even supercars are off limits.

2013 Audi A4 Allroad quattro a familiar trailblazer

It's no secret we love our high-riding SUVs and crossovers in the United States, but cars still outsell utilities by a 2-to-1 margin. For automakers, that's a clue that there is significant sales potential to buyers who pine for an off-road vehicle but secretly desire a sportier, more carlike cruiser for the highway. For Audi, the answer is the A4 Allroad.