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Photo: Toyota USA Newsroom. Seriously. The above headline is not a setup for some kind of corny car-guy punchline. It's for real. And let me preface this by saying that I'm not  a Toyota basher at all. In fact, I own a Toyota. That said, I do share a certain level of the sensibility of many in the automotive press—among them Todd Deeken and Paul Schmucker of Everyday Driver , for instance—that the Toyota Camry and Toyota Prius can be looked at as archetypes of the "appliance on wheels" concept.

Photo: Opel Pressroom—Poland. Remember the Opel GT, that German-import sports coupe, with hot looks and unremarkable power, that was brought to the U.S. through a partnership with GM and affectionately known here in the States as the "Baby 'Vette?" Well, the Opel GT, which was actually manufactured in two generations (1968-1973 and 2000-2010), has its 50th birthday this year. To celebrate, Opel will send five Opel GTs to join a lineup of 180 classic cars for the Bodensee Klassik (May 3-5). The rally starts and ends on the picturesque shores of Lake Constance in Bregenz, Voralberg, Austria, and features a challenging stretch through the mighty summits of the Tyrolean Alps. 

In an event that demonstrates how living your passion can also drive your efforts toward doing good, car enthusiasts will converge in California May 4-6 for the second annual Drive Toward a Cure Rally, an awareness and fundraising event for Parkinson's Disease. When name brands like Shell, Piloti, Maserati, Acura and Hagerty join forces for a second year in a row – as each are doing for non-profit Drive Toward a Cure and the organization’s multi-day ‘California Adventure’ charity rally – they are standing together to show that ‘driving has never meant more!’  Each are contributing once again to help raise awareness of Parkinson’s Disease and funds for research and patient care.  Through their involvement with Drive Toward a Cure, they are helping to open channels throughout the nation.