1988 Porsche 930 Turbo Slant Nose Coupe, Venetian Blue Metallic on 2040-cars

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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.

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.

100th Pikes Peak Hill Climb brings bad weather, heartbreak

Hill climb? Please. While Europeans spent the weekend driving up a nobleman's driveway at the Goodwood Festival of Speed, we in 'Murica got down and dirty with the 100th running up Pikes Peak. In a reversal of stereotypes, it is we who have understated. The "hill" climb ascends one of the tallest peaks in the Rockies, to a finish line that's 14,115 feet above sea level. To get there, it takes 156 turns over 12.42 miles, some of which just look like paved sky, because they have have no guardrails between the asphalt's edge and sheer dropoffs. In reality, the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb is even older than 100 years. The first event took place in 1916, but in 1917-19 and 1942-45, the so-called Race to the Clouds was put on hiatus due to a couple of world wars. This year's event was marked by damp weather that dashed the hopes of several teams' efforts to break new records. David Donner's Porsche 911 Turbo S Lightweight Package, for example, was widely expected to reclaim the production car record this year. Donner is a three-time PPIHC champ, and set the 2014 production car record in a 991-generation Turbo S.  A Bentley Continental GT piloted by Rhys Millen beat it in 2019, so Porsche was keen on taking it back. Donner broke the production qualifying time earlier in the week, but even the seasoned pro couldn't put his skills to tarmac due to moisture-laden surfaces and low-visibility from thick fog on race day. The result was 10:34.053, over 15 seconds slower than Millen's 10:18.488, still good enough to land the class's top spot and second overall. Acura arrived in Colorado to conduct its much-touted motorsports debut of the 2023 Integra. While the entry-level sports sedan, equipped with a stock engine but modified with a slew of HPD goodies, came in ninth in the production class, Acura didn't go home emptyhanded. A 2022 NSX Type S driven by Nick Robinson took the category's third spot. Taking second was Daijiro Yoshihara with a Tesla Model S. In recent years, electric cars have become a force to be reckoned with, especially since they are immune to high altitudes that negatively impact internal combustion cars. Poor conditions sent newcomer Levi Shirley's Ultra 4 buggy off course. Fortunately, it was near the lower sections, where there's still a significant amount of runoff past the pavement's end. Amazingly, Shirley landed wheels down in the video above, and simply continued driving through the pea soup haze.