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2009 Targa Molise

How an American woman improbably staged a rally race in Italy.

We're perched on the edge of a remote one-and-a-half-lane road twisting through the Italian hillside, staring at a stone farmhouse built long before the automobile was invented. Tiny European rally cars are skittering around the corner in untidy handbrake turns at one-minute intervals.inline_mediumwraptextright27388168/features/racing/1001_2009_targa_molise1001_01_z+molise+ruthann_raffaella_niosi_cheers_on_the_sidelines.jpgTrue

Photo Gallery: 2009 Targa Molise - Rally di San Giuliano del Sannio, Rally Racing, Molise Foundation - Automobile Magazine

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Next year Ford Motor Co. will be the first automaker in North America to offer HD radio technology and the ability to tag songs on iTunes in the vehicle for later purchase. The technology initially will be available only on certain vehicles. Full story...

Standard and Poor's lowered its opinion of Ford Motor Co. stock to sell from hold -- citing and#8220;valuationand#8221; reasons -- after Ford's shares rose above SandP's target price of $9. In a statement issued Dec. Full story...

The Canadian Auto Workers union said today it is pushing Ford Motor Co. to put its new 5.0-liter V-8 engine, which will be made in Windsor, Ontario, into more vehicles than just the Mustang GT. Full story...

In today's News Brake: Corvette flips its lid; Ford radios play tag; and cars are lining up for the Dakar Rally ... But Wait, There's More! Full story...

General Motors Co. is recalling Chevrolet Corvettes from the 2005 through 2007 model years because the roof panel may blow off. The recall covers Corvette coupes with the removable roof panel. Full story...

Auto sales will gain momentum worldwide in 2010 on the back of better access to credit and a return to 3 percent growth in the global economy, setting the stage for record volumes in 2011, according to the latest industry forecast from Scotia... Full story...

Fiat completed a 100 million euro ($143.9 million) payment on Tuesday, formally establishing its business in Serbia, which the Serbian government hopes will be worth 2 billion euros a year. Full story...

Plenty of Chevrolet Corvette owners like to think they can blow the doors of most everything else on the road. But General Motors is now recalling Vettes from the 2005 through 2007 model years because the roof panel might blow off. Full story...

General Motors is prepared to wait beyond the end of this week before deciding on the future of Saab as it reviews remaining bids, Bloomberg News reported. Full story...

SENIOR WEB REPORTER GREG MIGLIORE: My initial impression is this car fits in with the MKS and even MKX in drive character, and establishing a behind-the-wheel identity is a good thing for Lincoln. Full story...

SENIOR WEB REPORTER GREG MIGLIORE: My initial impression is that this car fits in with the MKS and even the MKX in drive character, and establishing a behind-the-wheel identity is a good thing for Lincoln. Full story...

Daimler is in talks with Renault and other potential partners to forge a compact car cooperation by mid-2010, CEO Diter Zetsche said. "But it could certainly also go faster than that," Zetsche told a German newspaper. Full story...

Daimler is in talks with Renault and other potential partners to forge a compact car cooperation by mid-2010, CEO Diter Zetsche said. "But it could certainly also go faster than that," Zetsche told a German newspaper. Full story...

Opel said new registrations of its cars in Germany rose to the highest level in four years in 2009, when government-backed scrapping incentives bolstered a floundering European auto industry. Full story...

GM is prepared to wait beyond the end of this week before deciding on the future of the Saab brand as it reviews remaining bids, Bloomberg News reported. Full story...

GM is prepared to wait beyond the end of this week before deciding on the future of Saab as it reviews remaining bids, Bloomberg News reported. Full story...

General Motors Co. is offering huge incentives to its dealers to speed up the sales of leftover inventory from its Saturn and Pontiac brands, that can push up the automaker's December sales, The Wall Street Journal said. Full story...

ARLINGTON, VA - New ratings from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety take the guesswork out of selecting boosters most likely to provide good lap and shoulder belt fit in a range of vehicles. The Institute rates 9 belt-positioning boosters BEST BETS, and 6 are GOOD BETS out of 60 models examined in a new round of evaluations. Eleven boosters aren't recommended at all because they do such a poor job of fitting the belt. Boosters elevate children so belts will fit their small frames better to protect them in a crash. Full story...

I had an epiphany the week I got to boot around in the darn-sexy A5. I wondered, well not really 'cause it just is, why the A5 is so strikingly beautiful. Here's how it happened: That same week, we at auto123.com were also test-driving a 2009 Dodge Challenger R/T. Both of them were white and seductive. Believe it or not, side by side, the two cars are surprisingly similar in their overall shape. Full story...