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KBB 2013 Brand Image Awards has some obvious and oddball winners

The sixth edition of the Kelley Blue Book Brand Image Awards have crowned a wide range of winners - in a couple of cases the recipient of the laurels might say more about KBB users than they do about the actual winner. Compiled from the responses of more than 12,000 shoppers on KBB.com over the past year, there are 13 categories broken into non-luxury, luxury and truck segments "representing the combined wisdom of the American car-buying public."
The award categories have been revamped this year, with some dropping off, some new ones appearing and at least one other given a new term. What isn't surprising is that Honda won Most Trusted Brand for the second year running, Best Value Brand for the third year in a row and took Best Overall Brand, which wasn't on last year's list of awards.
On our own shores, in the non-luxury categories Chrysler got Most Refined Brand and Buick took Best Value Luxury Brand. Neither one of those marques won anything in last year's Brand Image Awards, while Cadillac, which won Best Interior Design Brand and Best Comfort Brand last year - those awards disappeared this year - went home without a single accolade.

Black Edition Porsche Cayman is cooler than your Amex

I was working in a restaurant when I saw my first American Express Centurion card. Colloquially known as the Black Card, the Centurion is a substantial thing, if you've never handled one. It's, as the nickname describes, black, and made from titanium. It's cold to the touch and because it's so much heavier than a normal card, it feels like a piece of precision engineering. At the time, I couldn't get through my head just how German it felt, despite the "American" on its face. In many ways, this Porsche Cayman Black Edition is like the Black Card. It's the same color, for one. Gloss-black paint comes standard, although you're free to spend $710 for the metallic Jet Black variant. Like the exterior, the interior can only be had with black leather. Other upgrades for this "exclusive" Cayman include a Sport Design steering wheel, 20-inch Carrera Classic wheels, bi-xenon headlamps with the Porsche Dynamic Lighting System, navigation, heated seats, and an upgraded stereo. While its color and exclusivity might be a lot like the Centurion Card, we're wagering this isn't the Cayman most Black Card holders would buy, and that's because Porsche based it on the 275-horsepower model, rather than they hairy chested, 325-horsepower Cayman S, 340-hp GTS, or 385-hp GT4. That means 60 miles per hour arrives in a leisurely 5.4 seconds for the manual, 5.3 seconds for the PDK automatic, and 5.1 seconds for the PDK in Sport Plus mode. And if time really is money, those numbers aren't going to mesh with Black Card carriers. Prices for the Cayman Black Edition start at $60,195, or $6,600 more than the standard Cayman. While that seems steep, according to our contacts at Porsche, you'd be spending $12,825 to add the Black Edition's standard equipment to a normal Cayman. Sales are slated to begin in January. Porsche has released a single image of the new Cayman, available up top. You can also scroll down for a brief press release. Related Video: IN ELEGANT BLACK: PORSCHE CAYMAN BLACK EDITION Exclusive edition of 2016 Porsche Cayman in classic color combination ATLANTA, Oct. 1, 2015 -- Porsche is expanding the Black Edition line-up to include a new special edition of the Cayman. A strong complement inside the special edition series, which also includes the Boxster and the 911 Carrera, the Cayman Black Edition is distinguished with a timeless Black on Black design and an extensive level of standard equipment.

Porsche reveals new LMP1 racecar testing ahead of 2014 Le Mans debut

Getting ready for its triumphant return to the premier racing class of Le Mans, Porsche has released a handful of images showing its new LMP1 racecar testing. Porsche hasn't run a car in the Prototype class at 24 Hours of Le Mans since 2009, but this racecar - still veiled in secrecy - will be expected to battle against the Audi and Toyota LMP1 Prototypes to help bring Porsche its 17th Le Mans victory.
Aside from knowing that it will use a hybrid powertrain to meet LMP1 rules, there are no other details about the car... including its name or potential sponsors. In the meantime, Porsche has set up a microsite, called Mission 2014, to share its extensive history racing at Le Mans. Also, be sure to check out some of the past videos Porsche has released as it gears up for its reborn LMP1 program.