This Just In: New on the Net

My grandmother loved to drive. Way back in the ’20s, she was the first woman on her street to get a license. But when she decided she wasn’t safe behind the wheel, she sold her Buick, and everyone in the family was really proud of her. So I have to hand it to this English chap who just made the same decision.  You have to admit, 76 years without an accident is pretty impressive. And the wreck which prompted his retirement? Well, that was pretty impressive too. Here’s the news:

• Oil is now $113 a barrel, which is a new record. Of course, the rising prices don’t have as much to do with oil production as they do with the fact that the dollar is in the toilet. Auto Observer
• Ma Mopar is in talks with Fiat—which owns Alfa Romeo, Ferrari and Maserati—to produce Alfa-branded cars in US factories. So I know a cheap, Italian-designed, RWD, 2+2 is out of the question, but I that doesn’t mean I’m going to stop begging for one. Automotive News
• In other Italian news, Ferrari race cars will no longer wear Marlborough livery, as it turns out there are only three countries—Bahrain, Monaco and China—that still allow tobacco ads on race cars. I have to wonder, how long will it be before tobacco companies become invisible? AutoWeek
• John McCain wants the Big Three to take care of themselves. If he becomes president, there won’t be any bailout. Strange… it’d seem like someone so eager to go to war would want to keep some heavy industry Stateside. Detroit News
• The folks at Tesla are busy trying to shake the perception that the Roadster is vaporware—for the record, I think it’s not—but that hasn’t stopped them from suing Henrik Fisker. They say his ultra-gorgeous Karma is a direct competitor to the sedan he designed for the California company. Wired