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Toyota tops Kelley Blue Book's Resale Value Awards

Kelley Blue Book announced its annual Best Resale Value Award winners, and we weren't too surprised to see the list dominated by Japanese automakers - mainly Toyota and Honda. KBB hands out the awards based on the projected residual value of mostly all 2013 model year vehicles, and Toyota skated home with a number of awards including 10 of the 22 overall categories and having five of its products in the top 10 for models with best resale value. KBB's Best Resale Value Awards were announced in the same week as the ALG Residual Value Awards, and there were many similarities between both lists, especially when it came to Toyota.
To come up with its winners, KBB measures depreciation over the first five years of ownership, and looks for the cars it expects to hold its value the best after this time; on average, the report says the 2013 model year vehicles will lose 61.8 percent of its value in five years. Of the 22 categories, 15 slots were filled by Toyota, Honda and Nissan products, while the Camaro and Porsche (Cayenne and Panamera) each took home a pair of awards. If Toyota has anything to be upset about in this list of cars, it's that categories for Hybrid/Alternative Energy Car and Electric Vehicle went to the Ford Fusion and Chevrolet Volt, respectively.
The overall top 10 models for the best resale value in 2013 are, in alphabetical order:

You will spend hours playing with this Lego Porsche 911 GT3 RS

Owning an actual Porsche 911 GT3 RS is out of the price range for many enthusiasts, but a new Lego kit lets you park a massive example of Porsche's road-going racecar on your desk. At $299.99, it's not cheap, but this looks to be among the coolest Lego models ever. The Lego 911 GT3 RS comes in a giant box and includes a huge instruction manual. In addition to showing you how to build the car, it also has details about the real one. You definitely need ample free time to finish this kit, though. The 2,704 pieces let you build a working replica of the PDK gearbox, including reverse, and the finished model measures about 22 inches long and nearly 10 inches wide. According to Lego, the kit goes on sale online on June 1. To whet your appetite, check out the video above showing off the Porsche and its packaging. The clip below puts the model sports car next to the real thing. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. 42056 Porsche 911 GT3 RS Ages 16+. 2,704 pieces. US $299.99 - CA $349.99 - DE 299.99ˆ - UK GBP249.99 - DK 2599.00 DKK *Euro pricing varies by country. Please visit shop.LEGO.com for regional pricing. Discover the iconic Porsche 911 GT3 RS! Experience the iconic Porsche 911 GT3 RS with this authentic LEGO® Technic replica. Inside the box you'll discover a special collector's book chronicling the history of LEGO Technic and Porsche GT cars, together with 4 original-design rims bearing the RS emblem. The sets of elements are boxed, and the building sequence gives an insight into the real-life vehicle's assembly process. The model features detailed, orange bodywork, red suspension springs, detailed headlights, taillights, brake calipers and rims with low-profile tires. The accessible cockpit features a detailed dashboard, working gearbox, steering wheel with gearshift paddles, racing seats and a glove compartment containing a unique serial number. Functions include opening doors and hood with storage compartment and suitcase, and an opening rear lid that houses a detailed flat 6 engine with moving pistons.

Porsche 918 Spyder to birth stretched 2+2 version?

Porsche is known for its ability to spin off a litter of variants from a single model, and according to a report in Automobile the 918 Spyder (pictured here) might not be spared the house trick. Having taken too many brains and too much money for too much time, company chiefs are said to be examining ways to get more for their development euro out of the supercar, and Plan A is apparently otherwise known as Plan 984. That would be a four-seater, rear-wheel drive supercar that uses a stretched mold of the 918's carbon fiber tub, keeping the V8 in the same mid-mounted place and costing around 350,000 euro.
That would be less than half the MSRP of its inspiration, but the details don't sketch out a car that's just half as good. Automobile speculates it would get something like 700 horsepower in order to best the coming 911 GT2, and about 440 pound-feet of torque. The 984 is quite a ways short of being confirmed; even though a full-size study is said to exist, it's like the 918 would need to become a bigger sales hit for the 984 to happen.
The 984's fortunes don't change those of the 960, the supercoupe Porsche is building to challenge Ferrari. Its potential specs haven't changed since the last report in January, power coming from a 5.0-liter, twin-turbo, eight-cylinder boxer engine with something like 650 hp pushing a curb weight of roughly 3,100 pounds. The means a suspected 0-to-60 mile-per-hour time of 2.5 seconds.