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One of the world's largest muscle car museums is auctioning off its cars

Rick Treworgy's Muscle Car City is one of the biggest collections of high-performance American cars in the world. With over 200 cars of mostly GM makes, it's a mecca for fans of the golden age of Detroit iron. Unfortunately, the museum will be shutting its doors for good on Jan. 17 and auctioning off most of its assets with no reserve. The collection is, to put it bluntly, astounding. Advertised as a combined 65,000-plus horsepower, it occupies a 60,000-square-foot retail space in Punta Gorda, Fla., in a former Walmart store. It make sense when you learn that founder Rick Treworgy made his fortune in the commercial real estate business. As a hobby, he began to amass a truly jaw-dropping collection of muscle cars, filling out a collection that often has every year of a particular model represented, or a grouping of the rarest and highest-performance option packages of that year or model. Often, Treworgy bought placeholders while scouring the country for even rarer versions. It helps that Muscle Car City also houses a showroom where unwanted cars are sold, as well as its own speed shop that stocks plenty of parts. There's even a '50s-style diner called Stingray's Bar and Grill. According to a 2014 episode of Car Crazy, Treworgy has 80 Corvettes alone, more than the actual Corvette Museum. Among them are 20 models from 1967, one of Treworgy's favorites. The rest span the decades from 1954 (he once had a '53 but sold it) to a recently acquired 2020 C8, which, according to The Drive, has only 300 miles on the odometer. You like Impalas? There are models of every year from 1958 to 1969. El Caminos? He's got 'em from 1964 to 1972. Novas? Every year from 1963 to 1970 is represented. Most are the more desirable examples of each breed, with four-speed transmissions, the biggest blocks, and unicorn option packages like a factory 1965 Z16 SS396 Chevelle, one of 200 that were ordered off-menu at Chevy dealerships. And don't even get us started on the Camaros, which include not one, but two COPO 1969s. Treworgy even owns the only known surviving example of a 1936 Chevrolet Phaeton, of which only seven were built. On top of it all, many of these cars are concours quality and have won awards at prestigious car shows. While it's sad to see a collection like this broken up, Treworgy told The Drive that he'd been planning to retire next year anyway. However, the COVID-19 pandemic sped up those plans, greatly reducing the number of visitors to his museum.

2020 Cadillac XT5 light refresh shown in China ahead of U.S. reveal

We spied the lightly refreshed 2020 Cadillac XT5 not too long ago, but now we have official photos via China. Cadillac decided to reveal the mid-cycle refresh of its crossover on that side of the world, so the vehicle you're looking at here is a China-spec XT5. While this may be the case, many of the details unmasked about the vehicle will likely be seen here, too. Cadillac told us it will be able to confirm U.S. specifics in the near future. You may be wondering, what's different? Truthfully, there isn't much to the mid-cycle update from a visual perspective. The grille has been swapped for one that better matches all the other grilles in Cadillac's newest crossovers like the XT4 and XT6. Cadillac of China didn't include any photos of the rear for this light reveal. There are significant updates in other places, though. At least in China, Cadillac is giving the XT5 its new 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine we first saw in the XT4. That engine produces a refined 237 horsepower and 258 pound-feet of torque. We can't say whether the crossover will or won't keep the 3.6-liter V6 option in the states, but adding the boosted motor won't come as a surprise. Along for the ride is GM's nine-speed automatic transmission that is paired to that four-cylinder. The interior looks largely the same, save for the addition of Cadillac's rotary knob to control the infotainment system. This follows suit with other newly-released Cadillacs that allow you to control the system with both the knob and the touchscreen. Another notable interior upgrade is the addition of the rearview mirror camera. Cadillac is clearly set on integrating this technology onto every car it makes, and we certainly don't have any qualms with that. One bit of tech that wouldn't be included for China but may present itself for the U.S. model is Super Cruise. We've been told to expect the driver assistance system to spread throughout the manufacturer's lineup, and the XT5 seems a perfect candidate for the tech. Watch out for more details and photos coming soon for the 2020 XT5, as Cadillac will be sharing more specifics on the U.S. version in due time.

Cadillac Live virtual showroom is open for business in the U.S.

Cadillac launched the streaming showroom known as Cadillac Live in Canada earlier this year. The program places a Cadillac product specialist in an open studio laid out similar to a dealership. Equipped with an iPhone X on an Osmo Mobile gimbal and a Bluetooth headset, the specialist conducts one-way video chats with car buyers shopping for Cadillacs and owners who have questions about their cars. Now Cadillac Live has arrived in the United States. Described as "part personal shopper and part interactive digital showroom," it's aimed at converting luxury shoppers into Wreath and Crest buyers by making the research experience simpler. The automaker says it has data showing that "71% of customers report switching to a competitor’s product after finding their selection process easier." As well as being able to show and demonstrate 10 physical vehicles and their features, product specialists will be able to use a tablet app interface to run through color and accessory options. Shoppers and buyers with questions can reach a Cadillac Live agent from 9 a.m. to 1 a.m. ET Monday to Thursday, 9 a.m.-9 p.m. ET on Friday, and 11 a.m.-7 p.m. ET Saturday and Sunday. Calls can be taken on demand or scheduled at the Cadillac Live site, call appointments can be made for times outside of the traditional opening hours, and multiple callers can participate. U.S. customers in California, Illinois, New Jersey, and New York who like what they discover can automatically be connected to a local dealer to move on to the next phase. And video calls are one-way, so work-from-home types need not worry about broadcasting their coffee-stained "Beast Mode" workwear.