1970 Ford Bronco on 2040-cars

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Seinfeld's Porsches, '61 Ferrari lead the way at Gooding Amelia Island sale

If you're in the market for a sports car with celebrity provenance or just an incredibly well-preserved high-performance machine, then you'll want to check out Gooding & Company's Amelia Island auction in Florida on March 11. The highlight of the sale is likely 18 cars, mostly Porsches, from Jerry Seinfeld's collection, but there's more to see than just the comedian's sporting metal. While several of Seinfeld's cars carry auction estimates in the millions, they aren't the most valuable at the sale. That honor falls on a 1961 Ferrari 250 GT SWB California Spider, which could sell for between $15 million and $17 million. This one is among the 37 examples with covered headlights, and it has some theatrical provenance after appearing in the Sophia Loren film Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow. If your tastes skew more American, then one of 31 Ford GT40 MKI road cars is also among the lots. Gooding expects the rare coupe to sell for between $3.2 million and $3.6 million. Ford originally used this GT40 for dealer promotions, but it eventually fell into private hands. Even today, its multiple owners have only covered around 3,200 miles in it. Gooding also expects a 1931 Duesenberg Model J Disappearing-Top Convertible Coupe with a body by Murphy to bring $2.5 million to $3 million. The auction house claims this might be the "most original" example left because of a history of owners who kept it for long periods – and the vehicle never needed a complete restoration. Some lots carry more attainable estimates like $35,000 for a 1962 MGA. You can check out all the listings on Gooding's online catalog and some of the highlights in the gallery above. You've probably read the news about Seinfeld's Porsches, but here's a refresher: The collection includes amazing cars like a 550 Spyder, 917/30 Can-Am Spyder, and a 718 RSK. Related Video:

We drive the 2016 Ford F-750 Tonka dump truck

The Ford F-750 dump truck stands nearly 10 feet tall and is painted bright yellow. It idles patiently yards away from Ford's test track in Dearborn, MI. "Tonka" is emblazoned on the sides. We pose the obvious question to Ford marketing manager Mark Lowrey: Why do this? "We built this truck to get attention," he replies. And indeed it does. Ford revealed the 2016 F-750 Tonka dump truck in March at an industry show, underscoring that the Blue Oval is back in the business of big trucks after years of teaming with Navistar in a joint venture. The new F-650s and F-750s start rolling off the line at a factory near Cleveland this summer, and the order bank is open now. The trucks come in regular, super, and crew cabs and offer three states of tune for the 6.7-liter Power Stroke V8 turbo diesel, plus a gasoline-fed 6.8-liter V10. Naturally, the Tonka has most powerful diesel mill, with 330 horsepower and 725 pound-feet of torque. The Tonka edition is a paint-and-sticker one-off that Ford is using as a promotional tool. You can't buy one, and it will be touring shows and events throughout the year. Lowrey notes that it calls attention to work trucks in a positive way. The general public usually only sees them when the trucks are blocking the road or making too much noise at a construction site. Tonka trucks, on the other hand, conjure up happy childhood memories. "We're going to do something where someone's going to see this truck and smile," he says. It's hard not to grin as we climb into the cabin of this monster truck. It has a 33,000-pound gross vehicle weight rating and can carry five yards worth of dirt. We're not doing anything like that today – just puttering around Ford's handling circuit inside its product enclave. The course is closed, so even though this track is better suited to calibrating Mustangs, F-150s, and well, almost anything but a dump truck, we're totally relaxed. We depress the button to release the parking brake and are off. The truck is surprisingly easy to drive. The vision ahead is excellent – makes sense, we're nearly one story off the ground, after all. The cabin is simple and cleanly laid out. It looks like a Ford truck, regardless of the size. The diesel engine has a lot of grunt. We can feel the torque. The steering is light, and we have to stomp on the air brakes to slow this thing down. We go 'hot' into a tight corner just for fun. It's not really that fast, but it raises the eyebrows of our film crew, which is set up nearby.

Ford, Samsung shack up to bring regen braking to non-hybrid models [w/video]

Ford must be desperate to get itself ready for the beach this summer because it is really trying to get into shape. Shortly after unveiling the Lightweight Concept that cut the weight of a Fusion down to that of a Fiesta, it's now the rest of the line's turn for improvement. The company is wrapping up a 10-year research project aimed at developing next-gen automotive batteries to improve efficiency.
Ford claims that 70 percent of its lineup will have stop/start tech by 2017. The key to this massive proliferation is its new dual-battery system that combines a lithium-ion battery with a lead-acid one and regenerative braking. The setup works by harvesting braking energy and converting it to electricity. When the vehicle stops, the engine shuts off, but the Li-ion battery has enough juice to keep the accessories running. The engine starts up again as drivers take their foot off the brake. The layout would mean less wasted gas while idling. It's already available on Ford hybrids and is somewhat similar to the i-Eloop capacitor-based system from Mazda.
The bigger challenge is tuning the regenerative braking right. While hybrid drivers may be a little more adventurous, when it comes to getting a hang of regen braking, conventional buyers might not be so open-minded. The systems have a tendency to be a little grabby at first and then taper off at very low speeds. Ford needs to make sure it's just right to avoid turning off buyers.