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You can own Don Draper's 1964 Imperial Crown Convertible

In AMC's Mad Men Jon Hamm's character may have been a jerk, but Don Draper's 1964 Imperial Crown Convertible is fantastic. One of just 922 droptop Imperials built for 1964, Draper's land yacht is up for auction as part of a broader sale of Mad Men props. Alongside stuff like Roger Sterling's Ray-Bans or Draper's copy of Dante Alighieri's Inferno, the big Imperial is the undisputed star of the show. According to the auction page, fewer than 200 exist today, meaning that even without its Hollywood provenance, this is an exceedingly rare vehicle. Under hood, there's a 413-cubic-inch V8 wedge mated up to a push-button, three-speed TorqueFlite automatic transmission. Typical of a big, 1960s luxury vehicle, the Imperial gets power steering, power brakes, and power windows. Even the roof is electric. Cosmetically, the auction site claims Draper's convertible was repainted once, 20 years ago, going from a "drab" Roman Dark Red to today's California Red. In the interior, the only change are new carpets. This isn't the first time Draper's Imperial has crossed the auction block. It sold at a Palm Springs auction in February 2015 for just $23,625, before a St. Louis dealership listed it on eBay for $39,900 less than a month later. That online listing has long since disappeared, so there's no telling if it actually sold or not before being listed as part of this latest auction. Regardless, with fewer than 1,000 made, fewer than 200 in existence, a credit on a critically acclaimed TV show, and a history of reasonable sale prices, this is one big, 1960s land yacht worth considering. The auction starts on June 1 and runs through June 15. Related Video:

Chrysler taking big risk snubbing NHTSA

Maker Insists Feds Overstate Risk Of Fires With Grand Cherokee, Liberty Models
It's not often that recall stories make it above the fold, in that old newspaper parlance, but when one shows up as the lead story on the network evening news programs, you know it's something big.
And so it is with Chrysler snubbing its nose at a request by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to recall 2.7 million Jeeps the feds insist are at risk of potentially catastrophic fuel tank fires in a rear-end collision.

FCA updates 700k-vehicle recall to replace ignition switches

FCA US is revising a previously announced recall of 702,578 minivans and SUVs; now specifying that owners replace their ignition switches, rather than just a component. The campaign affects the 2008-2010 Chrysler Town & Country, 2008-2010 Dodge Grand Caravan and 2009-2010 Dodge Journey. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration initially opened an investigation last summer following complaints about the ignition switches in these models. FCA US (then Chrysler Group) responded with a recall of 695,957 examples of these vehicles because the key could appear to be in the "Run" position but not be fully engaged. If it slipped out, and there was an accident, then the airbags might not deploy. The company had initially planned to install a new detent ring to fix the problem. According to the timeline in a NHTSA document (available here as a PDF), the government agency and FCA US continued their research into the problem. The automaker found that the time needed to create a new ring design and updated software would be longer than replacing the whole ignition switch. The company worked with the supplier Marquardt to negotiate an accelerated schedule to manufacture the extra replacement parts. According to NHTSA, the investigation has now been closed because of FCA's recall. Company spokesperson Eric Mayne confirms to Autoblog via email, "No additional vehicles are affected and all affected customers have already been made aware their vehicles are subject to recall." FCA US sent out an initial notification advising owners of the problem in September 2014. The company will now send out a second letter in April and will replace the parts in two phases. Repairs for affected models from the 2008 and 2009 model years will begin in April, and 2010 examples will start being fixed in August. RECALL Subject : Ignition Switch may Turn Off , 1 INVESTIGATION(S) Report Receipt Date: JUN 26, 2014 NHTSA Campaign Number: 14V373000 Component(s): AIR BAGS , ELECTRICAL SYSTEM Potential Number of Units Affected: 702,578 All Products Associated with this Recall Vehicle Make Model Model Year(s) CHRYSLER TOWN AND COUNTRY 2008-2010 DODGE GRAND CARAVAN 2008-2010 DODGE JOURNEY 2009-2010 Details Manufacturer: Chrysler Group LLC SUMMARY: This defect can affect the safe operation of the airbag system. Until this recall is performed, customers should remove all items from their key rings, leaving only the ignition key.