The Auto Aftermarket Is No Afterthought (BusinessWeek) At this year's

The Auto Aftermarket Is No Afterthought (BusinessWeek)
At this year's version of the industry's big trade show it's clear that the boom in adding custom parts to cars and SUVs is accelerating

Basra explosion kills 20 among festive crowds (Guardian Unlimited)
At least 20 people were killed in the southern Iraqi city of Basra last night after a car bomb went off in a market area packed with festive crowds visiting restaurants and enjoying the cool of one of the last evenings of the holy month of Ramadan.

The Pope's Escort Sells for $690,000 (Luxist)
If the question of which Pope, the late John Paul II or the current Pope, Benedict XVI, was ever in question it could be settled by checking out which of their old cars brought in the most money. John Paul II s 1975 Ford Escort brought in a cool $690,000 in Las Vegas this weekend (the current Pope s VW Golf sold for $244,000 earlier this year). It was good news for owner Jim Rich who had

Atlanta II: Winning team interview, part 1 (Motorsport.com)
CARL EDWARDS: "The car was just unbelievable. We started the day out and we were just a little bit free and some other cars had their act together right from the beginning, most notably Dale Jr. He really set the bar really far up there, so we worked on our car a little bit.

Outrageous gifts (Atlanta Journal-Constitution)
Ritzy rides Nothing to do with your $450,000? Try the Mercedes-Benz SLR. Want to go from zero to 60 in 2.6 seconds? Check out these and other cars. Homes for sale Win the lottery? Got a few million dollars to burn? Give one of these metro homes as a gift.

Drive With Patience, Cross With Caution (Poly Post)
A slight chill runs up my spine as commuter traffic speeding down Temple Avenue casts a cool breeze onto my face on an already cold Thursday morning. The speed limit is 45 mph, but as the traffic clears a few lone drivers don t seem to care. One motorcycle passes as if he were in a street race.

Preview: 2006 Ford Fusion
Ford's most important sedan launch since the Taurus.
Perry Stern

Businessman Offers Alternate Blake Theory (AP via Yahoo! News)
A businessman testified Monday that he tried to alert authorities to an alternate theory of who killed actor Robert Blake's wife, but his story apparently was discounted.

Hybrids Are Hot
Automakers that used to downplay the viability of gasoline-electric hybrids are now embracing them.
Ann Job

Volvo Unveils Two Hot New Concepts at the 2005 SEMA Show (PR Newswire via Yahoo! Finance)
Volvo Cars of North America, LLC will pull the wraps off two exciting new concept cars at the 2005 Specialty Equi