1937 Buick Four Door Roadmaster Sedan Model 81 on 2040-cars

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Neil Young to auction model train collection, classic cars

LOS ANGELES — Rock singer Neil Young is selling some of his most prized possessions — part of his model train and classic car collections. The Canadian folk-rock star is putting more than 230 of his vast collection of Lionel trains and some of his cars up for auction in Los Angeles in December. Some of the trains have estimated selling prices of up to $9,000, Julien's Auctions said on Thursday. Young, 71, known for his Woodstock-era songs as well as "Ohio," "Heart of Gold" and many, many others, has been a passionate model train enthusiast for more than 20 years. His collection and vast layouts at his California ranch took off in the early 1990s as a means of connecting with his son Ben, who has cerebral palsy, Young said. Young is also selling some of his classic car collection. They include: A first-in-production 1953 Buick Roadmaster Skylark convertible 50th anniversary special edition, with a steering wheel hub saying "customized for Neil Young," that has a pre-auction estimate of $200,000 to $300,000. A 1954 Cadillac Fleetwood Imperial eight-passenger limousine (estimate $30,000-$40,000) with the Cadillac crest styled "Broken Arrow" emblem on the rear passenger door, referring to both the Buffalo Springfield song and his ranch of the same name in Portola Valley, Calif. A 1948 Buick Roadmaster Hearse built by Flxible (estimate: $8,000-$10,000) used by Young and his band, The Squires, to haul equipment to gigs in the early 1960's. Dubbed "Mortimer," it's decorated with backstage passes and bumper stickers, and it inspired Young's song "Long May You Run." A 1941 Chrysler Series 28 Windsor Highlander two-door, three-person coupe (estimate: $15,000-$20,000), considered Chrysler's most prestigious model in its day. (For a closer look at Young's lifetime interest in cars, here's a New York Times interview from 2012, which includes an anecdote about the time he ate road tar. Or his memoir "Special Deluxe: A Memoir of Life & Cars," in which he recounts every car he ever owned, and describes how he wrote the lyrics for "Like a Hurricane" in the back of a friend's 1950 DeSoto. He promoted the book in this NPR interview. He also tipped us off to the return of the Lincoln Continental, and is known for his LincVolt plug-in biodiesel 1960 Lincoln.) As for Young's train collection, he designed a remote control that allows multiple trains to run at once, and a device that delivers realistic railroad audio to help his son get the most of out the hobby.

Mysterious white powder discovered at GM Orion Assembly

Workers at General Motors Orion Assembly Plant in Orion Township, MI uncovered a mysterious white powder in two different parts of the factory earlier this week, raising concerns about worker safety. "We can confirm that an unknown substance (white powder) was found on the floor outside of Gate 6 at Orion Assembly on Monday, August 29. On Tuesday, August 30, we had a second report of a bottle containing a similar substance found inside the plant," GM spokesperson Dayna Hart told The Oakland Press via email. GM stressed that incident didn't disrupt operations at the plant, and that the company was taking steps to ensure the safety of the sprawling factory's workers. That did include, an anonymous worker told The Oakland Press, closing off parts of the factory for two full days, as drug-sniffing dogs and crews in haz-mat suits descended on the area. "A sample of the substance has been sent to a laboratory for identification and results are expected later this week," Hart said. "All findings and actions have been shared with our employees." Orion Assembly currently builds the Chevrolet Sonic and Buick Verano, and will eventually be responsible for production of the new, all-electric Chevy Bolt early next year. Related Video:

Buick Velite 6 MAV is the brand's first all-electric vehicle

Buick is making a big splash at the 2019 Shanghai Motor Show. It just debuted the brand's first all-electric vehicle, dubbed the Velite 6 MAV, which is a production version of the concept we saw a year ago. The vehicle is reportedly built on a new platform GM developed with China's SAIC and will be sold in China. This platform uses a "new-generation pure electric drive system," but it's not based on the new electric vehicle platform GM said is going to underpin new electric cars in the U.S. starting in 2021. Consumers may not want it here anyways. The electric motor makes 114 horsepower and 188 pound-feet of torque. It has a "city" electric driving range of 187 miles, but Buick doesn't quote any numbers as they would pertain to our EPA rating system. That's plenty of range for most folks, but the lack of power would be a tough sell here. Buick calls this thing an MAV, which stands for multi-activity vehicle. It's tough to put a car type on it, because it borrows elements from several different styles. We'll just distill it to a mash-up between a wagon and a crossover, sort of like the Subaru Outback. At least it appears utilitarian. Buick says that it costs about $25,000 after all the Chinese government subsidies for an electric vehicle have been applied. The goal here is to give the Buick-hungry Chinese market an electric option, and this doesn't look half bad. GM is even entering into a car-sharing venture to deploy 5,000 Velite 6s with EVCARD (car sharing company) into strategic areas. Those will reportedly be put into operation on April 28 this year.