When we were contacted by a marketing firm asking us to inform our readers about the DriveSharp software, recommended by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, our response was as it always is, "we only write about products we have personally used and will give an honest opinion, good or bad." A week later, DriveSharp arrived in the mail.

DriveSharp is a brain game that works on improving and widening the scope of your peripheral vision while training your brain to keep track of as many things as possible. Being baby boomers who have killed way too many brain cells though the years who now have to dodge the increasing number of folks who think they can "text" while driving, we thought it might be a good idea to check this out.

In six weeks we logged in over eight hours of the software's training sessions.  Can we say  that we are better drivers because of it?  Check out our full product review, DriveSharp, Software To Improve Your Driving to find out.

The Royal Automobile Club's annual London to Brighton Veteran Car Run is celebrating its 113th anniversary this November 1st and 2nd which makes it the world's longest running motoring event. It attracts highly valuable Antique pre-1905 cars from all over the globe. For the spectators, it's a rare opportunity see these extraordinary automobiles on the 60 mile run from Hyde Park in central London to the seafront on the Sussex resort of Brighton.

The Emancipation Run, as it was called at its initiation on November 14th, 1896, celebrated the passing into law of the "Locomotives on the Highway Act" which raised the speed limit for "Light Locomotives" from 4 miles per hour to 14 mph. The event was considered to be a red-letter day in the history of British motoring, demonstrating that the automobile was here to stay...even though only 14 of the 33 starters reached Brighton. Since then, with the exception of the war years when gas rationing was in force, the London to Brighton Veteran Car Run has been an annual event to celebrate motoring.

Today, royalty and personalities from the worlds of television, stage, music and sport often participate in the annual run which takes place on the first Sunday every November. Few events on the international motoring calendar can claim the individuality, personality and character of the 557 fine examples of early automotive engineering that will participate in the 2009 London to Brighton Veteran Car Run.

2009 London to Brighton Veteran Car Run Spectator Information

Photo: 1902 Murray Runabout

Toyota  Motor Corporation announced that they will host a Classic Car Festival at their Toyota Automobile Museum, in Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo, on Saturday, November 28. The festival will be the third hosted by the Museum, and is aimed at promoting and developing Japan's automobile culture and encouraging interaction among car fans.

To mark its 20th anniversary, the Toyota Automobile Museum will display prized classic cars from its collection under the theme: "The 100-hundred-year History of Automobiles and Personal Mobility Beyond 100 Years".

To illustrate the past and future of personal mobility, seven classic cars from the Toyota Automobile Museum will be driven side-by-side with vehicles such as the i-REAL, a vehicle that  has been described as a "wheel chair on steroids".

We wonder which classic cars Toyota will use from the museum that might best demonstrate the major advances their futuristic i-REAL has made.  Could it be Leonardo da Vinci's Self-Propelled Cart or maybe the Baker Electric.

Either way, we think the classic would still be our choice to get around in.  Check out Top Gear's video of the i-REAL and see if you would agree.

About forty miles outside Abu Dhabi, the capitol of and second largest city in the United Arab Emirates, sits a huge pyramid-shaped structure known as the Emirates National Auto Museum. The museum is really the garage of a member of the Abu Dhabi royal family, H.H. Sheikh Hamad Bin Hamdan Al Nahyan, that houses around 200 vehicles in his private and rather amazing collection of vehicles.

One of the most impressive displays at the museum/garage is the sixteen foot high replica of a 50's Dodge Power Wagon, custom built to a scale of 64:1. Its wheels came from an oil rig transporter and its windshield wipers from an ocean liner. Inside, the power wagon has a full apartment with bedrooms, bathrooms, a meeting area and kitchen. Incredibly it can actually drive...it had to in order to enter the Guinness Book Of World Records.

On October 31, 2009, the royal collection will be rearranged to conduct the Museum's first annual collectible car show, swap meet, and auction. We must say that the organizers picked a great weekend for the event because the city is sure to be filled with car enthusiasts. The Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, which is the climax of the F1 World Championship season, will be underway at what is considered to be the most beautiful, innovative and luxurious motorsport circuit ever built, the Yas Marina Circuit.

You can see more of the cars on display at the Emirates National Auto Museum by going to their website.

If you want great advice about buying and selling collector classic cars, your best bet is to ask an expert. And that's just what we did when we met with Craig Jackson, Chairman and CEO of the Barrett-Jackson Auction Company at their collector car event in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Jackson was very candid on such topics as the benefits and risks for first time buyers and the most common mistakes they make. But his most passionate topic we discussed was the ethics of collector car auctions.

You can read the full interview on our Craig Jackson on Buying and Selling Collector Cars at Auctions page.

One of our loyal readers, Hugo Vera, came across a car at the annual "Autoclasica" event which prompted him to send us this email:

Hello Michele and Tony, I'm an avid reader of your newsletters. In my country, Argentina, there is a strong heritage of pre-WWII American cars, and some of them has been preserved and/or restored. Almost every year we enjoy a nice antique and classic cars exhibition called "AUTOCLASICA".  Those of 2009 has been done last weekend. I'm attaching a some pictures of such American-made beauties, and I need your help to know if one in particular, the Auburn "Explorer" is an original one or if it has been some sort of customized conversion. I will really appreciate any information you can provide.

Our reply to Mr. Vera was that in our research, we couldn't find an "Explorer" listed in Auburn's production models and that it was probably a customized conversion. The car definitely has the Auburn grill, running boards and rims of a 1930's model. But the windshield, boot, doors and especially the fenders don't resemble any Auburn model year we've seen. Could Auburn have made this Explorer as a concept or one-off...maybe, but we think the likelihood of that is slim.

With permission from our Argentinean friend, we would like to ask you, our readers, for your opinion on the 1930's Auburn Explorer Hugo is questioning. Click on the links below for a good look at the car and then share your thoughts in the comments section below.

Auburn Explorer Front View - Auburn Explorer Rear View                                          

Photo by Hugo Vera

Last year we reported on a 1958 Ferrari 250 Pininfarina Cabriolet, s/n 0799GT, which was seized by the Connecticut State Police on September 4, 2008 because the car was reported stolen from a Spanish warehouse in 1993.

We have just learned that the Ferrari has been returned to its owner due to a court order by the Connecticut Superior Court. More specifically, the car was returned to the Sharon, Connecticut owner who purchased the Ferrari s/n 0799GT in January 2001, not Dr. Andreas Gerber of Switzerland who it was "allegedly" stolen from on July 7, 1993 in Marbella, Spain.

It has been reported that the Swiss owner thought the Ferrari was so valuable that he didn't collect on the insurance claim because he thought it had to show up sooner or later. And it did, Sports Car Market posted a timeline of the documentation of this particular vehicle which shows that after the Ferrari was reported stolen, it was sold in six transactions, was shown in three Concours events and had a seven page spread in the December 2007 issue of Forza magazine.

The SCM timeline also reveals that Cavallino magazine placed an advertisement in 2008 asking for information on the whereabouts of the Ferrari and its theft on the 7 July, 1993. Could that be why there was a court filing from the Connecticut owner for $5 million in damages against Cavallino and its owners?

We don't think this will be the last we hear about the 1958 Ferrari 250 Pininfarina Cabriolet, s/n 0799GT, and if we do, you'll be the first to know.

In a joint announcement, privately owned Russo and Steele Collector Automobile Auctions and China Auto Logistics Inc.  said they have signed a memorandum of understanding for a joint venture to develop the Russo and Steele Collector Automobile Auction business in China.

In connection with the planned joint venture, Russo and Steele expects to coordinate auction events with CALI in China and work together with CALI to develop marketing programs to reach potential consumers. CALI expects to advertise the Russo and Steele name to prospective clients, as well as assist with the development of Russo and Steele online auction technology. The companies said their memorandum of understanding is subject to executing a Definitive Agreement.

Drew Alcazar, owner of Russo and Steele, stated, "As our company celebrates its tenth anniversary, this is a very exciting step for us - bringing one of the premier U.S. auctions of the world's finest collectible automobiles to China, which is now the largest automobile market in the world. There are numerous enthusiasts there with a passion for collector cars and, working with China Auto Logistics - one of the top sellers in China of high end luxury imports, with more than 3,000 clients throughout the country - I believe the potential for success is very high."

Mr. Tong Shiping, president and CEO of China Auto Logistics stated, "We believe this will be a win-win situation for both companies. Russo and Steele has a well deserved reputation for conducting the 'top' auto auction events in the U.S. and we believe their marketing expertise will be very helpful to us in broadening the reach of our business as well as in helping to make what would be the first high-end collectible auctions in China a great success."

This could prove to be a very interesting development if these two companies can close the deal. For more information, visit Russo and Steele at www.russoandsteele.com and China Auto Logistics Inc. at www.chinaautologisticsinc.com.

Photo Courtesy of Russo and Steele

It was a good event for the Pony Muscle Car at Barrett-Jackson's second showing in Las Vegas as Mustangs took the top four slots in the highest bid category.  A 1965 Shelby Cobra Roadster came in #1 at $440,000 topping the $352,000 paid for the 2009 Iacocca Silver Anniversary Mustang GT.

Two other Shelby Mustangs were in the top four cars: a 1967 Shelby GT500 SE Super Snake Continuation Fastback which sold for $330,000, and the 2007 Prudhomme Edition that drew $302,500 with Carroll Shelby on the stage. And overall, Mustangs and Shelby  ponies drew almost $2.7 million when you include the 10% buyers premium.

It gets a bit befuddling for us after that; a 2006 Mercury Volga Milan 4 door Hardtop sold for $300,000 and  the 1969 "Bo's General Lee" Dodge Charger at staggering  $258,500.  Yes, the Volga Milan is one of two made by Mercury but it was, well,  very unimpressive and we didn't even take a picture of it.  Maybe we should stick to the classics.

Overall we thought the Barrett-Jackson line up of cars at the Mandalay Bay Resort was true to their "something for everybody" approach.  Day one of the three day event was a perfect opportunity a first time buyer to have good selection of nice $10,000 to $30,000 classics to choose from.  The bidding frenzy over the Barney Fife recreation 1963 Ford Galaxie which ended at $121,000 was the exception.

Check out our Barrett-Jackson Las Vegas 2009 Photo Gallery for more photos and information about the interesting cars we found at the event.

All the results for Barrett-Jackson's Las Vegas Auction can be found on the company's website.

Yes, we are headed to "Sin City" to attend the 2nd Annual Barrett-Jackson Collector Car  Auction in Las Vegas, Nevada at the Mandalay Bay Resort.  But what happens in Vegas won't be staying in Vegas!

We'll be reporting via Twitter starting  Friday, October 9th as exciting happenings  occur, as well as  posting detailed information and photo galleries from the weekend right here as usual.  You can find us at http://twitter.com/AboutClassics.