Auto News 5

As Canada's trusted provider of vehicle history reports, dealers have come to expect comprehensive and detailed products from CarProof that they can rely on to help with everything from disclosure, to building customer loyalty, and ultimately to sell more cars and make more money. In addition to those detailed reports, occasionally what's necessary is just a fast snapshot to help make on-the-spot decisions.

"When our dealers are considering cars that are older than 10 years, they told us that in some cases, what they wanted was a screening tool as a starting point," shared Chris Afonso, Vice President Dealer Sales at CarProof. "QuickProof gives them that tool, and the ability to cost-effectively screen for damage on those older vehicles."

In addition to the VIN decode, QuickProof quickly and simply returns a 'yes' or 'no' finding on whether that vehicle has ever sustained damage. 'Damage' includes searching cross-Canada for insurance accident/collision estimates (except from ICBC and SGI), police reported accidents, US findings and CAMVAP buy-backs.

Available on vehicles that are over 10 years old (model year 2001 and earlier), QuickProof provides a great snapshot than can later be augmented with a vehicle history report to assist with compliance to regulations or disclosing all the detailed information to customers. The $7 cost of QuickProof is also credited against that VIN's vehicle history report, if subsequently purchased.


_{As reported by CarProof}

From GMM

German Formula 1 driver Michael Schumacher has been pipped at the post in the race to be the world's richest sportsman.

Michael Schumacher, Mercedes AMG (Photo: Mercedes-Benz)

According to the Sunday Times' annual listings, the seven time world champion's (US) $823 million in career earnings is beaten only by golf legend Tiger Woods.

American Woods has earned $869 million in his own ultra-successful career, the newspaper found.

And the Sunday Times said the pair have each earned hundreds of millions of dollars more than other high-earning sportsmen, including Michael Jordan ($516m), Roger Federer ($316m) and David Beckham ($258m).

F1's two other representatives, Fernando Alonso and Kimi Raikkonen, were way down the top-twenty list, with their respective earnings at about $161 million apiece.

McLaren's world champions Lewis Hamilton ($89m) and Jenson Button ($85m), meanwhile, appear only on the list for British sportsmen, and they are both outpaced by the $129m earned by former Ferrari driver Eddie Irvine mainly through property investment.

However, Hamilton and Button have each earned more in their careers than David Coulthard, Nigel Mansell, former BAR boss David Richards (all $80m) and Sir Jackie Stewart ($67m).

Those earnings, however, are all dwarfed by Bernie Ecclestone's estimated $4 billion, although the 81-year-old F1 chief executive does not appear at all on the list of the world's richest overall.

That list is headed by mega-earners like Sauber sponsor Carlos Slim, who according to the Sunday Times is worth $71 billion.

Panther Racing announced that it had formed a partnership with Dreyer & Reinbold Racing in order to assist on operating Oriol Servia's entry for the remainder of the 2012 IndyCar Series season.

Thanks to this association, Dreyer & Reinbold Racing, which has recently part ways with Lotus, will use Panther's second Chevrolet engine lease and work alongside No. 4 National Guard team and driver J.R. Hildebrand beginning with this month's Indianapolis 500.

This partnership is not new since both teams have shared a technical partnership since the end of the 2011 season and will now occupied the same installations at Panther's headquarters in Indianapolis.

The union puts Servia behind the wheel of a Chevrolet-powered IndyCar for the first time in his career. General Motors has powered all of Panther's 15 career IndyCar Series race victories and both its championships in 2001 and 2002.

Today we commemorate the 30th anniversary of the tragic death of race car driver Gilles Villeneuve who lost his life May 8, 1982.

It is a really sad anniversary for all motorsport fans. On that day 30 years ago, Canada lost a great ambassador and a true champion.

Before Villeneuve arrived in Formula 1, motorsport in general was relatively unknown in Canada. F1 was nowhere as popular, as well covered and as popular as it is today.

Gilles Villeneuve, Ferrari, French GP, 1979. (Photo: Jean-Claude Loustau)

Those lucky enough to have met him knew of his drive and ambition, that he was different from the others and that he had the potential to make it. For his part, the kid from Berthierville, Quebec was convinced he would make it - and he did.

Transcending borders, Gilles Villeneuve became the most spectacular and popular Formula 1 driver in the world, the idol of millions around the world.

Villeneuve's stunning exploits behind the wheel were powerful enough to help a new breed to up-and-coming drivers to emerge on the international scene with drivers such as Claude Bourbonnais, Stephane Proulx, Paul Tracy, Scott Goodyear and others.

Thanks Gilles.

Today marks the 30th anniversary of Gilles Villeneuve's tragic death. It's a sad anniversary indeed: we've lost not only a great champion, but also a formidable ambassador.

Auto racing and Formula 1 in particular were relatively unknown in Quebec before Gilles arrived. The sport was nowhere near as popular, accessible, and advertised as it is nowadays.

I remember when Villeneuve won the first of six Grand Prix, right here in Montreal, on October 8th, 1978. After the race, a few friends and I stopped at a restaurant for dinner.

''You look ecstatic!'' the waitress told us.

''Well, of course! Gilles Villeneuve just won the Canadian Grand Prix!'' we replied.

''Gilles Villeneuve? Who's that?''

Photo: Jean-Claude Loustau

A mere four years later, the entire world knew who he was: an incredibly talented driver, excessively determined to succeed, who managed to race in F1 with basically no money, just his driving skills. Villeneuve introduced auto racing to hundreds of young Canadians such as Claude Bourbonnais, Stéphane Proulx, Paul Tracy, Scott Goodyear and others.

The circumstances surrounding his fatal crash at Zolder, in Belgium, aren't exactly clear even 30 years later.

Why didn't he ease off the throttle when his tires were destroyed? Why did he go to the same side of the track as Jochen Mass? Was he looking to beat the time of his Ferrari teammate (Didier Pironi) at all costs?

Some people have raised the possibility of a mechanical failure. I've heard others mention faulty brakes and a stuck throttle cable. If that's the case, only a few people would know about it, and I think they'll take the secret to their grave. We'll never know for sure what really happened with the #27 Ferrari on May 8th, 1982.

A pilgrimage to Maranello, home of the Scuderia's headquarters, reveals how big a legend Villeneuve was. In every bar, every restaurant, every hotel lobby, and every gift shop, one can find posters, busts, pictures, stickers, and books about Gilles Villeneuve. Everywhere. He's still a god in Italy.

Today, in Fiorano, his son Jacques drives one of his favourite cars: the 312 T4 that helped Gilles finish second in the 1979 F1 Drivers' Championship. A fitting tribute.

Salut Gilles!

The number of people killed on U.S. highways fell in 2011 for the sixth straight year, the longest streak of declines in the nation's history. Crash fatalities dropped 1.

Two Detroit 3 automakers are among the top 10 in Fortune magazine's ranking of the 500 largest U.S. companies released today. More than 23 auto-related companies made the list. GM rose three spots to No. 5 and Ford rose one place to No. 9.

Toyota's profit may climb to a five-year high and exceed GM's earnings this year, signaling Asia's biggest automaker is close to full force after reeling from natural disasters and a recall crisis.

Toyota Motor Corp. unveiled the production version of its

Toyota today unveiled the production version of its RAV4 electric vehicle, which carries a battery pack and electric motor system developed in collaboration with Tesla Motors.

Also in this episode:

For the first time in six months, used-vehicle prices in April stopped their upward trajectory and showed signs of easing, according to a closely followed gauge released today. The Manheim Used Vehicle Value Index in April stood at 126.

A former Acura dealership employee who stole $10.2 million from the Pittsburgh-area store where she worked could face six years in prison, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported today.

There is much to be said for the sound of a high-performance engine with the reins off, screaming in all its glory.

Pressure is increasing on Ally Financial and its government overseers to find a solution to its festering financial problems that date back before its government bailout in 2009.

The 2012 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 officially joined the 11-second club.

Chrysler is recalling almost 120,000 Dodge Charger and

Chrysler Group will voluntarily recall 127,346 2011 and 2012 Dodge Charger and Chrysler 300 sedans in the United States and Canada to fix a fuse problem that could disrupt the vehicles' antilock brakes and electronic stability control systems.

Jaguar is joining BMW by offering a taxi service at the Nürburgring. But these

2012 Audi A7 - Coast to Coast

Our Four Seasons Audi makes a decidedly modern road trip.

Our Four Seasons Audi A7 has been in motion almost every day since it arrived here two months ago, and already has traveled to three corners of the country. A big chunk of this month's miles were put on by journalist David Brancaccio, who drove from New Jersey to California on assignment for American Public Media's Marketplace. His mission was to drive across the country without interacting with another human, in a bid to see whether robots and computers really have taken jobs from average Americans.

Photo Gallery: 2012 Audi A7 - Four Seasons Update - May 2012 - Automobile Magazine

Photo Gallery: 2012 Audi A7 - Four Seasons Update - May 2012 - Automobile Magazine

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