59 Years of Automotive Passion.

2001 The Los Angeles and Detroit auto-show season brings the Ford Thunderbird roadster and Bullitt Mustang, the Porsche GT2, the Lexus IS 300 and the Subaru WRX. Concepts include: Ford Forty-Nine, BMW X-Coupe, Buick Bengal, Chrysler Crossfire, Mazda RX-8, Nissan Z, Cadillac XLR, Volkswagen Microbus. Bentley unveils its Audi R8-based EXP Speed 8 Le Mans racer at Detroit.

Jutta Kleinschmidt is the first woman to win the Dakar Rally (run on its namesake Paris-Dakar route, for once), in a Mitsubishi Pajero.

For the second year, Grand-Am prototypes lose to production-based racers in the Rolex 24. Ron Fellows leads the winning Corvette C5-R team. A second C5-R, in fourth place, has Andy Pilgrim atop the driver list, sharing duties with Dale Earnhardt and Dale Earnhardt Jr.

The senior Earnhardt dies in a last-lap turn-four crash at the Daytona 500. The news overshadows that of Michael Waltrip's first Cup win (in a car Earnhardt owns) and the return of Dodge to NASCAR's top series after 15 years.

In an AutoWeek Fast Poll, respondents say that gasoline will have to cost $3 a gallon or more for them to change their driving habits.

Plymouth finally sinks beneath the waves, its Mayflower badge appearing for the last time on the 2001 Neon.

When the ALMS gets to Sebring, a supposed threat from the Panoz team can't prevent a 1-2-3-4 Audi finish.