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Maserati returns to Indianapolis to commemorate historic win

This past weekend was Memorial Day weekend, folks, and you know what that means: racing. There was the Monaco Grand Prix for Formula One fans, and back Stateside there was the Indianapolis 500. You might expect to see a name like Maserati pop up at the former more than the latter, but that wasn't always the case.
These days its all about Dallara chassis powered by Chevy or Honda, but over the course of a century there have been plenty of foreign automakers that have won the Greatest Spectacle in Racing. McLaren won it twice in the 1970s, Mercedes and Peugoet won during the race's pre-WWI infancy, and in between them Boyle Racing won it two years in a row with a Maserati chassis and engine.
The car was the Maserati 8CTF "Boyle Special," and its first win came 75 years ago. So to mark the occasion (as well as Maserati's 100th anniversary), the car was brought back to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway for a revival lap. Unfortunately Wilbur Shaw, who won the Indy 500 three times (twice in the Maserati) and went on to be president of the speedway, died in a plane crash the day before his 52nd birthday in 1954. So in his place fellow three-time winner Johnny Rutherford took the wheel of the 8CTF in front of the gathered crowds.

Rich kid uses puppy to polish Maserati as Internet howls

Update: The original Instagram video appears to have been removed, but the video can still be viewed at this link. One of the Rich Kids of Instagram may never attempt to perform manual labor again after the 2-3 seconds she spent using a puppy to "polish" a rare Maserati. She cast it as a joke, but the Internet wasn't laughing. Instagram user m666ya, who is said to be a young, beautiful, wealthy collector of supercars in London - or, she at least has enough access to photograph them and occasionally show herself behind the wheel of one - posted this clip of an extremely cute puppy detailing a limited-edition Maserati MC12, which sells for $1.5 million or $2 million (depending on who's doing the telling). It got picked up on the Rich Kids account two days ago: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. The Maltese puppy is compliant and seems, well, maybe not in distress but probably not having the time of its life, either. And m66ya or whoever is doing the buffing keeps it exceedingly brief. Some of the reaction has been predictable. The New York Post tabloid called her "barking mad." And social-media reactions to the post were similar: "Not funny." "Animal abuse." "Disgusting." "This is just wrong." "Shame on you." "This is actually sickening." "Money can't buy you class and in your case, values." "Dogs are so loyal and only want to love and please their owner. You do not deserve any devotion of love from this innocent puppy." "Psychologists will tell you, simple abuse of animals often leads to abuse of humans in later life. Seek some help now." A few commenters defend the clip and suggest people lighten up. Some doubled down on the joke: "It's better to use a cat so you can hear your engine purr." A blogger joked you'd never actually use a dog to polish a $2 million car because dirt in its hair could scratch the paint. And one young philosopher of Instagram, whose spelling is too poor to quote him directly, makes the fair point that perhaps some people are less angry about the dog than they are jealous that these ne'er-do-wells are rich. A spokeswoman for the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals said: "We can understand why people are concerned about this video.

Audi gets Q2 and Q4 badges in trademark swap with FCA

Audi has swapped trademarks with Fiat Chrysler Automobiles to snare the rights to the Q2 and Q4 badges for upcoming crossover SUVs. Audi CEO Rupert Stadler confirmed at the Detroit Motor Show that the automaker had finally persuaded FCA to release the two names that would let Audi lock up the Q1 to Q9 badges for its growing SUV family. Audi already plans to drop the Q2 name onto its MQB-based city crossover five-door this year, while the Q4 badge will slot onto the rump of a coupe-like version of the next Q3. It will also reserve the Q1 badge for a 2018 baby crossover, based around the architecture of the next A1 hatch. The A1 will share a lot of its engineering with Volkswagen's Polo-based soft-roader, dubbed T-Cross in concept form. The German company has also pounced on the naming rights for SQ versions of all of its Q-cars, along with F-Tron to cover the day when it pushes hydrogen fuel cell cars into production. Stadler insisted that no money had changed hands in order to pry the two badges off FCA, admitting that they had "each found something we needed." "We promised each other we wouldn't disclose what it cost, but it was not something they were willing to sell," Stadler said. "We tried to get it years ago and they said 'No, never,' but there is never 'never' in business. ... This year I went back to them with a proposal and we talked and there were some negotiations and then we agreed to it." Those negotiations are believed to have centered on a trademark swap with a Volkswagen Group name that FCA desperately (evidently) wants to use on a Fiat, Alfa Romeo, Chrysler, Dodge or Maserati. Asked if Audi had given FCA a trademark in return for Q2 and Q4, Stadler replied, "Something very much like that, yes." Audi has used Italian names on past concept cars that FCA could be interested in, such as the 2001 Avantissimo concept and the 2003 Nuvolari coupe. The latter was named after legendary pre-war racer Tazio, who won grands prix for both Alfa Romeo and Audi's forerunner, Auto Union. Both are unlikely trade chips, with laws in Europe preventing the trademarking of the names of actual people. There is always "quattro" (Italian for "four"), but after investing nearly four decades locking it in as an Audi all-wheel-drive name, it's just not anything like trade bait.