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You've likely heard the Roger Penske quote that the best way to make a small fortune racing is to start with a big fortune. It turns out that Penske's observation is true even in racing's scrappiest series, the 24 Hours of LeMons. Senior web editor Phil Floraday's misfit team (read: not bankrolled by this magazine) bought a $300 1987 Volkswagen Quantum Syncro wagon and then put in more than ten times that amount getting it ready to race. Result? They won the Index of Effluency (awarded to the team whose finishing position furthest exceeds judges' expectations), turning the $5644 worth of parts, labor, and entry fees into a check for $1501.

I had the opportunity to drive a BMW 335i coupe and 135i in a three-day span (with a Mitsubishi Lancer in between, to cleanse the palette). It's a tough decision between them, but for me at least, the 135i is smart choice. True, the smaller car's weight and performance advantage is negligible (about 200 pounds and 0.2 seconds, respectively, according to BMW), but so too is the difference in practicality -- the two-door 3-series offers only 0.4 inches more legroom in front and 1.4 inches in back. The deciding factor is their footprint. The trimmed wheelbase makes the 1-series just a bit livelier, and a bit more intimate, though the 335i's longer wheelbase might be a bit better balanced. Of course, the $6000 in savings hardly hurts either.

Months in fleet: eight
Miles to date: 22,478

We all know wagons aren't exactly flying off dealer lots in the United States, but it's still an important segment for Volvo, even more so in its native European markets. Weeks after killing the slow-selling V70 in the U.S., we've been given our first glimpse of the all-new 2011 Volvo V60 station wagon, which will debut at the 2010 Paris motor show in September.

Chevrolet may be working on a hot Z28 Camaro, but for those who are sick of waiting for General Motors to launch the beast, we've come up with a few alternatives.