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Ford EcoBoost smashes records at Daytona

Some mighty machines have lapped the banks of the Daytona International Speedway over the years: thunderous V8-powered stock cars, Le Mans-conquering Group C prototypes, open-wheel Champ Cars, knee-dragging superbikes... heck, the infield lake has even hosted powerboat racing. But this - this is the fastest car ever to lap the legendary raceway.
What you're looking at is the new Daytona Prototype being prepared by Riley Technologies for the new United SportsCar Championship. The car, released just last week, is powered by a new 3.5-liter turbocharged V6 from Ford's EcoBoost family, and just obliterated the top speed at the track with a blistering 222.971 miles per hour through the traps.
That's enough to annihilate the previous record that was set, also under Ford power, by Bill Elliott while placing his Thunderbird on pole for the 1987 Daytona 500 that he would go on to win. His 210.364 mph record had stood for 26 years until now.

Fewest vehicles ever found eligible for Most American survey

Once again, the most American car on the market is from an American brand. The Ford F-150 retained its number one spot in Cars.com's annual survey of the most American vehicles, trumping the Toyota Camry, which remains at number two.
Ford taking the top spot is small consolation, though, as the Detroit Three aren't too well represented here. General Motors scored a win at number seven, with the Chevrolet Corvette, while Chrysler squeaked in at number ten, with the Dodge Viper. Outside of those three vehicles, Toyota and Honda dominate the top ten.
What's most remarkable, though, is that there were so few cars available for this year's list.

Detroit automakers mulling helping DIA avoid bankruptcy looting

It's not really a secret that the city of Detroit is in lots and lots of trouble. Even with an emergency manager working to guide it through bankruptcy, a number of the city's institutions remain in very serious danger. One of the most notable is the Detroit Institute of Arts, a 658,000-square-foot behemoth of art that counts works from Van Gogh, Picasso, Gauguin and Rembrandt (not to mention a version of Rodin's iconic "The Thinker," shown above) as part of its permanent collection.
Throughout the bankruptcy, the DIA has been under threat, with art enthusiasts, historians and fans of the museum concerned that its expansive collection - valued between $454 and $867 million by Christie's - could be sold by the city to help square its $18.5-billion debt.
Now, though, Detroit's hometown automakers could be set to step up and help save the renowned museum. According to a report from The Detroit News, the charitable arms of General Motors, Ford and Chrysler could be set to donate $25 million as part of a DIA-initiated campaign, called the "grand bargain." As part of the deal, the DIA would seek $100 million in corporate donations as part of a larger attempt at putting together an $816-million package that would be paid to city pension funds over 20 years. Such a move would protect the city's art collection from being sold off.