hughes36.com
Hughes car expected to set auction record
Howard Hughes' Aero-Mobile -- recently on display at the Evergreen Aviation & Space Museum in McMinnville, Ore., -- is expected to a fetch a record price when it goes up for auction Saturday in Oklahoma. Past Hughes-owned or customized cars have sold for millions, but none have been customized to the extent of this car, or during the stage of his life when he was considered his most creative. The aerodynamic boat tail speedster could have easily hit 100 mph and may have been built to keep up with airplanes while filming high speed take offs and landings.
--NWautos staff
Porsche
Rankings based on driver satisfaction
AutoPacific, a widely respected automotive research firm, surveyed more than 25,000 consumers who bought or leased new vehicles from September to December 2008 to find out how likely they would be to recommend their vehicles to friends and family. The firm's Most Highly Recommended Vehicles for 2009 list names Porsche as the top brand, with 91 percent of owners saying they would recommend the brand to others. Among individual vehicles, the Infiniti G37 was the most recommended, with 95 percent of owners expressing that opinion.
Top winners in various categories:
Premium luxury: Lexus LS
Executive luxury: Jaguar XF
Aspirational luxury: Infiniti G37
Large car: Toyota Avalon
Luxury midsize: Lexus ES
Premium midsize: Toyota Camry
Midsize: Volkswagen Jetta
Image compact: Toyota Prius
Mainstream compact: Subaru Impreza
Economy: Honda Fit
Premium sports car: Chevy Corvette
Sports car: Nissan 350/370Z
Sporty: Ford Mustang
Light trucks (category includes SUVs, crossovers, pickups and minivans):
Large light-duty pickup: Ford F-150
Large heavy-duty pickup: Ford Super Duty
Compact pickup: Toyota Tacoma
Luxury sport utility: Lincoln Navigator
Large sport utility: GMC Yukon XL
Premium midsize sport utility: Toyota 4Runner
Midsize sport utility: Dodge Nitro
Compact SUV/off-road vehicle: Jeep Wrangler
Luxury crossover: Land Rover LR2
Large crossover: Ford Flex
Premium midsize crossover: Ford Edge
Mainstream midsize crossover: Honda CR-V
Compact crossover: Honda Element
Minivan: Toyota Sienna
--New York Times News Service
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