In the world of collector car auctions, it often seems that you need a sizable wad of cash to play. Well at Mecum’s Des Moines Auction, held on July 16-17, at the Iowa State Fairgrounds, it proved to be quite the opposite, as there were a number of good deals to be had on what can be considered some fairly desirable classic cars

A total of 500 collectible vehicles crossed the block including numerous muscle cars, big ’50s and ’60s cruisers and even a smattering of hot rods. A 1965 Shelby Mustang G.T.350 was billed as one of the highest profile vehicles, but when the gavel settled, the top sale went to a 1969 Chevy Camaro SS convertible with the Z-11 Indianapolis Pace Car package (Lot S93), which went for $66,000. Other reasonable deals were a 1966 Pontiac GTO ragtop, which sold for $47,500, a 1961 283 powered Corvette ($47,000) and a 1970 Plymouth ’Cuda AAR which went for the same amount as the ’Vette.

While Des Moines might not have the glamor of the big Scottsdale and Monterey auctions, it proved beyond a shadow of a doubt that there’s still a budget for just about everybody in the classic car hobby. If you’re smart and savvy, auctions like Mecum Des Moines often present the best opportunity to get your hands on a quality car without having to re-mortgage the house. Which, these days, for most true enthusiasts, is something to celebrate.

[Source: Mecum Auctions]

Nissan is beginning to ramp up promotion of the Leaf electric vehicle after pre-orders have slowed significantly. The Leaf enjoyed a burst of interest from “early adopter” types. While Nissan estimates that it has 16,300 pre-orders, but observers are unsure whether they will be able to reach the 25,000 pre-order goal by year’s end.

For now, the company will continue to keep the order book up until they hit 25,000, and is stressing on their official website that “We are not sold out!” If you think the Leaf is up your alley, get your order in.

[Source: Nissan Leaf]

Even though the current generation Audi RS6 is being discontinued, Cargraphic has decided that now is an opportune time to give those owners something to look forward to. Tuned wagons are some of our favorite vehicles, especially since no one ever expects it and they look absolutely killer when done right. Having 656-hp to back it all up helps too.

Cargraphic takes the twin-turbo Audi V10 to a whole new level bumping it from 572-hp to 656-hp, with very little details on how it’s achieved. We’re going to safely assume it’s an ECU upgrade of some sort since they do take the liberty to mention an exhaust bolt-on option. The exhaust is so aggressively tuned in fact that it’s not legal for use in German and only available for export use only.

Along with their exhaust options are a set of 21×10.5-inch Cargraphic GT-R wheels wrapped with 285/30/21 rubber. It’s a good thing this wagon pumps out over 650-hp to help spin those bad boys.

Official press release available after the break.

GALLERY: Cargraphic Audi RS6

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A New York Times article reporting on Fiat’s push to “impose American-style standards” at an Alfa Romeo plant in Southern Italy, where workers workers will have to *gasp* work more hours and cut back on absences. One irate employee told the Times that“… too much work is going to kill our workers”, prompting nods of agreement from UAW management types across North America.

Among the hilariously stereotypical but odious offences listed involve “…peers who call in sick to earn money while working another job or skip work with a fake doctor’s note — especially when the local soccer team is playing.” The old jokes about Alfa factory workers building a car on Friday and finishing to the next week seem all too true, and Alfa still has a bad reputation for poor build quality to this day.

The Times article goes on to discuss the ongoing European economic crisis, and how the Alfa plant, situated in the South of the country, is emblematic of the significantly lower living standards in the region relative to the North of the country, and many other European nations.

Fiat CEO Sergio Marchonne wants to toughen up standards by cracking down on absenteeism and a culture where ” people don’t miss a chance to miss work.” One worker told an anecdote of how Fiat erected massive television screens inside the factory so that workers could watch the World Cup during work. Many employees still failed to show up, skipping work to watch the game elsewhere, despite being paid by Fiat to watch the matches. The same employee described the crushing effect that absent workers have, stating that “When one person is missing, it slows down the whole group and everyone has to pick up the slack. The production of 200 cars, for example, is slowed to 160 if a person is gone. Imagine when this is multiplied across the factory.”

Despite this, 63 percent of the work force agreed to accept the tough new standards, in return for an investment of almost $1 billion and the addition of a third shift at the plant. Measures like this are inevitable if Europe wants to pull itself back from the brink, and shrug off the crushing austerity programs, which force higher taxes and massive reductions in social welfare spending as a means of gaining some economic stability.

[Source: New York Times Photo Credit: Roberto Salmone for the International Herald Tribune]

Auto parts maganate Frank Stronach, who founded Magna International Inc. is being given a $1 billion dollar golden parachute for him to exit the giant corporation he founded in 1957.

Stronach is something of a folk hero in Canada, where Magna is based. A penniless immigrant from Austria, Stronach founded the company and grew it from a small auto parts maker into a massive conglomerate that assembles vehicles like the BMW X3 and the Mercedes-Benz G-Class. The deal must be approved in Canadian courts before it can go through.

[Source: Toronto Star]

By now, everybody’s patience is wearing thin with Ford‘s Explorer marketing campaign, whereby the automaker is obnoxiously revealing slivers of the Explorer’s exterior and interior design. It’s one thing to build hype for a car, but it’s another to have people inclined to hate your product before it’s even been revealed.

Ford has added yet another layer of tedium by choosing to reveal the look of the new Explorer’s grille after the car’s fan page hit 30,000 fans on Facebook. We hope predict that by the time Ford actually reveals the Explorer next week, the fatigue from the constant stream of teasers  that nobody will actually report on the car.

[Source: Ford]

Dodge has revealed pics of its all new Mopar ’10 Challenger special edition. For those with short memories for special edition muscle cars, the Mopar ’10 Challenger is pretty identical to a standard Challenger R/T, but gets  a cold-air intake, front and rear strut tower braces, 20″ forged wheels, hood pins, unique badging. The car will only be painted in Brilliant Black with Red, Blue or Silver striping. Mopar ’10 is $38,000 for an automatic transmission and $39,000 for a manual transmission. Both prices include $750 for destination.

Gallery: Mopar ’10 Challenger

[Source: Chrysler]

Volkswagen is looking to expand its 19.9% stake in Japanese automaker Suzuki by an additional 10 percent reports Automobile Magazine. The reasons for the larger share aren’t entirely clear, with possible reasons being increasingly shared products between the two automakers. We’ve already heard that Volkswagen intends to rebadge Suzuki models as VWs in some emerging markets and there’s rumor of an SX4-based VW crossover called the RockTan. Automobile also suggests the SX4 platform being used for future VW brand models and a new Gran Vitara platform that would also be used across several VW brand companies.

A more likely possibility, however, is that VW intends to take control of Suzuki. While the 80-year-old Suzuki boss Osamu Suzuki has refuted those claims, he may actually want to retire at some point – or face dying at his desk. Either way VW is almost certain to make a push to take full control of the Japanese automaker.

Along with whatever product reasons there may be for a takeover, TTAC suggests (and we agree) that the bigger reason is likely as an insurance policy against its claim to be the largest automaker in the world by 2018. In other words, even if VW can’t make it’s lofty goal all on its own, being able to add in Suzuki’s share of the market will certainly bump it to the top.

[Source: Automobile]

In an effort to convince Saab to move ahead with plans to build a new small car, a Facebook group calling itself Saab91 Support Group, has released some compelling renderings that are sure to spark discussion.

Rather than the rumored 92 badge, this group suggests the 91 – and for good reason. The name is in homage to the Saab 91 Safir plane developed by Saab. The design of the car even takes inspiration from jets and other airplanes, in keeping with Saab’s history, as well as the design language of Saab’s new parent company Spyker.

Overall the design takes a futuristic, rather than a retro, approach, with cues from the BioHybrid and AeroX. The Saab91 Support Group isn’t done yet either, with plans to unveil a rendering of the cars interior. You can even join the Facebook group to discuss the model and what sort of materials it should use.

Saab is reportedly working on a new 92 model with BMW supplying both engines as well as the current MINI platform. That being said, if it does make production, it’s sure to be a blast to drive. We just hope it looks like this.

GALLERY: Saab 91 Rendering

[Source: Saab91 Support Group via Ferrantedesign]

Recently Ford engineers drove a modified Fiesta concept car from Ann Arbor, Mich., to San Mateo, Calif., as part of a new technology experiment. Along the journey it was the Fiesta, and not the folks inside it, Tweeting about the trip.

Equipped with software called the “Auto”matic Blog, the Fiesta (named AJ) was able to send out tweets about its location, speed, acceleration and braking. It did this by tapping into the vehicle’s onboard telemetry, GPS system and ECU, even knowing when the headlights are on (must be getting dark) and when the wipers are being used (must be raining).

Connected to the internet, impressively, the software can even search real-time traffic info and weather conditions, commenting that it’s no looking forward to what’s coming up.

Once AJ even commented that he, she, it was joyful. When asked how a car can be joyful, Joe Rork, one of the IT brains behind the project commented that, “There’s no traffic, and it’s not raining and it’s enjoying a winding road.”

Incredibly, in order to pull off this stunt, Ford used mostly readily-available technology like a high-speed connection, Wi-Fi router and Dell computer with Windows 7.

According to Rork, the project is just an extension of Ford’s already high-tech vision for cars of the future. While Tweeting cars might not be around the corner, Ford will soon add Twitter feed capability to its SYNC-equipped cars later this year.

[Source: NYT]