For some time we've heard rumors that Ferrari has been considering the possibility of thinking about maybe considering producing an "entry level" model codenamed 4139. Autoweek says si, a $190k fourth model is on its way. The mag isn't naming sources. Nor are they naming its name; "California," " Dino" and "Piccolina" are all in the running. Apparently, the miniature pony will sport a 4.3-liter V8 just like its big brother F430 and cousins Alfa Romeo 8C and Maserati GranTurismo. However, it will only share a block with the F430. The baby gets all new injection rails, intakes, cylinder heads, valvetrains and some sort of never before used throttle body. The steerage class engine will also get direct injection (for improved mileage) and an eco-minded transmission. Even stranger, the latest Maranello product supposedly started life as a Maserati-Pininfarina joint [venture]. Weirder still, the 4139 will feature a Pininfarina-sourced folding steel top. Actually, Pininfarina might built a good chunk of the car as Ferrari's assembly lines are already at (or past) capacity. So, who's excited about a super-expensive, Maserati-derived, Pininfarina-built, 2+2 folding roof Ferrari (or not) that might be called Piccolina? Bueller?

When I was a kid, a friend's father would flash his brights whenever we were at a stoplight. "They have light sensors, so when you hit 'em with hi beams they think more cars are waiting and change faster." I once asked a city engineer about flashing your brights at stop lights. His response, "What?!?" Even adults get caught up in automotive mythology. As Frank Williams reported, the Tesla Roadster is fast becoming a mythological creature, a kind of four-wheeled Griffin. Or have a look at Mr. Wilkinson's rant about the need for robocars, which deconstructs the myth that giant SUVs are safer than smaller, more nimble machines. (I've long been of the opinion that the Caterham Se7en is the safest car on the road. Perfect visibility, massively maneuverable, way better than average stopping distances and the ability to quickly accelerate away from pending danger.) Care to explode some automotive myths?

According to MSNBC, this not-surprising stat comes from a six-year study investigating the deaths of 10k child passengers. Do the math, and it gets even scarier; car crashes are now the leading cause of death for teens. The specifics are depressingly predictable. "More than three-quarters of the fatal crashes occurred on roads with speed limits higher than 45 mph, and nearly two-thirds of the young passengers were not wearing seat belts." Who doesn't wear seat belts? Sure, every blue moon you run into someone that claims they survived a crash because they weren't wearing a seatbelt. But then the conversation quickly changes to tin foil hats and anal probing at the hands of alien abductors. Personally, I disagree with one of the study's recommendations– raising the minimum age for a learner's permit to 16-years-old. My dad taught me to drive when I was 12, and I feel I'd be an even safer driver if I had learned earlier. Anyhow, assuming that raising the driver's permit age will stem fatal teen-driver accidents, what about the other 4600 children killed with adults behind the wheel?

I was getting dinner with auto-journal colleague Mike Bumbeck. We were sitting in the left turn lane behind a minivan, about to turn onto a four lane street. The minivan is going slowly. It appears to be heading into the left most lane. OK, I think, I'll swing into the right lane and go around the lumbering kiddie carrier. Suddenly, from the left lane, the white blob cuts hard right, swinging in front of me and heading into the strip mall. "Crazy Ivan! Crazy Ivan!" Bumbeck shouts, referencing The Hunt For Red October. If you've forgotten, submarines can't look behind them– the propellers cause enough noise and disturbance to effectively create a sonar gap. Russian subs took to the practice of suddenly making sharp turns in order to look behind them. Bumbeck said he developed the term when he used to ride motorcycles. The good news? My car has great brakes. What driving habits really piss you off? [Look for former Car and Driver editor Stephan Wilkinson's feelings on the subject in an editorial tomorrow.]

Here's a tip you won't get from Warren Buffet: invest in Bugatti. You may recall Stephen Wilkinson's less than flattering blog post on the launch of a Bugatti with a slightly lightened version of it's 1,000+hp ubercar, the Veyron Pur Sang. It used a little more carbon fiber, avoided paint for exterior aluminum bits, weighed 200 pounds less and cost €1.4 million ($2.1 million). That was then. Today, finecars has one of the five Pur Sangs on sale for the "fixed price" of 3.2 million Euros. That's 4.8 million McDonald's cheeseburgers to you and me. Assuming some sucker a discerning car buyer shells out nearly $5m for the fastest ever Volkswagen, the seller will have made a tidy 230 percent profit. See? I knew that was going to happen. I really am in the wrong line of work…

There's an awful lot in modern cars that can drive a person meshuge. Although I know active safety systems save lives, air bags give me the creeps. They're essentially loaded guns pointed at your chest and head. It's not quite law yet, but by 2012 traction control will be mandatory. Fine on paper. Saves lives, etc. But the application of these nannies will be far from uniform. The really bad systems (hello, Ford) apply too much brake force while simultaneously cutting the gas. The effect on the driver is discombobulating, to put it goofily. Then you have my personal pet peeve: idiot warnings. Every time it's sunny out I'm reminded that babies and short people should beware the passenger side airbag and sit in back. Jeremy Clarkson pointed out the full extent of this lunacy when he showed the warning sticker comes in a Viper: if you have a navigation system you must agree not to crash the car every time you turn the key. Or– ick– push the button. But the one that kills me, and will always continue to kill me, is the damn beeping when your seatbelt isn't fastened. Despite much evidence to the contrary, the motoring public isn't sub-mental. Anyhow, what's your biggest peeve?

Our brothers-in-arms over at Consumer Reports just released their not-so-creatively titled "Top Picks" for 2008. Surprises? A few. For starters, CR chose the Hyundai Elantra SE as their top Small Sedan. We'd of course pick the Mazda 3 instead– and they even admit the Mazda handles better– but CR feels you get more safety stuff for your buck. Who knew? And man, how far has the Civic fallen? Want to guess what car scored highest ever on the Consumer Reports road test? Why it's the Lexus LS 460L. Not only did the big limo score 99 out of a possible 100 points, but it's a top pick in the Luxury Sedan category. I spent some time with the hybrid version, and I'd have to give it 99 out of 100, too. If you didn't count handling. If you did include handling I'd score it 99 out of 110, as the car moves like a submarine. The Chevrolet Silverado beat out the Toyota Tundra in their Pickup Truck category. In point of fact, the Tundra scored more points, but the first-year Japanese V8 has been having reliability problems, so the Chevy got the nod. Go figure. Not so surprising is the Mazda MX-5 Miata beating out the Porsche Boxster in the Fun to Drive category. Consumer Reports reports that the Miata does everything the Boxster does, but for half the price. I agree with that, though the Boxster gets better gas mileage. And smells better. No, really.

It's like Maserati read our minds. We, meaning pistonhead with a pulse, love the way Maser's new DuoPorte looks. Long, lean, sharkish, rakish, classic, chiseled, sexy, hot and on and on we could go. But with "only" 405 horses pumping-out of its detuned (and carried over) Ferrari heart, the GranTurismo was a case of more show than go. (That's less mojo than a Corvette, don't you know.) Basta! No more. Fiat's sports car group has crammed its 4.7-liter V8 under the Maser's hood, boosting power up to a highly respectable 440 hp. We like that. The transmission has also been re-jigged for faster shifts and the brakes are dual-cast (steel and aluminum) Brembos squeezed by six piston calipers. Subtle exterior and interior tweaks abound (like Poltrona Frau leather). About time too.

Yesterday we asked about new cars and which one upsets you the most. Today we'll be discussing which new car makes you the happiest. And don't say your new Honda Pilot, because even if it's true, no one cares. Nope, we're here to talk supercars. New supercars, specifically (so don't answer 959). 'Cause lets face it: 99 percent of us wish we had loads more money for the express purpose of buying a supercar. That same 99 percent is jealous of Jay Shoemaker, too. Speaking of Jay, my favorite supercar isn't the Audi R8. First of all, it looks like a bulimic dolphin, the carbon fiber side panels are lame and even though it's a mid-engined car, it boasts a grill bigger than Goldie's. Second it has the same engine as the RS4, and I like the RS4 better. I'm not going to mention Ferrari, either. Yes, yes: fast, precise, impeccably made, luxurious. It all sounds quite German to me. And no Porsche, either. Maybe at one point in time I could have gone for the Carrera GT, but the world has moved on. So has Porsche. The new Corvette ZR-1 is pretty tempting, but it's still a $100k Chevrolet. The Nissan GT-R is getting warmer but contains too many electronic shenanigans for my taste. Aston Martins are too pretty these days, what happened to the bulldogs? I'm very close to choosing the Dodge Viper SRT10 ACR, because it's just so absolutely bonkers. Truthfully, the big Dodge is the supercar I would pick if there wasn't one even more insane: the Lamborghini Murcielago LP640. It's not even symmetrical. You?

GM's full-size hybrids still get lousy mileage (25 percent better than bad still sucks). The new Dodge Challenger weighs more than two tons. The new four-door Honda Accord is goofy looking. Subaru has thrown Harry Potter's cloak of invisibility over the WRX and raised the STI's price into the Porschephere. The Jaguar XF is not half as sexy as the concept. BMWs keep getting uglier and Audis continue to bloat. And then there's the new Scion xB. As Paul Niedermeyer's review points out, its hundreds of pounds heavier than its predecessor. The engine has nearly doubled in size. Combined gas mileage is down– way down– to about 26 mpg combined. And it doesn't look anywhere near as striking as the first generation love it or hate it boxy box. C'mon then, share your pain.

Apparently there's no "win" in Darwin. So listen, we know it's difficult, but the next time the police confiscate $2,000 in cash from your home while you're being arrested for drug possession, take the bus when you show up at the sheriff's station to demand your cash back. Remember, if you don't know your history, you're doomed to repeat it. If you're Charles Chambers of Anderson, SC however, you're just doomed. That's right dear readers, MSNBC tells us that he rolled into the police station in a stolen car. His plan would have worked perfectly, too, if not for the fact that victims of car theft generally report their cars stolen. And the one Mr. Chambers came rollin' in just happened to fit the description of a vehicle stolen three hours earlier. It didn't help that when the cops pulled him over, Mr. Chambers had to shut the car off with a screwdriver. Hey, at least he's not as dumb as this woman. Wait, no — yes he is.

First thing is first: We are talking about a 2008 Deutsch sled. Sure, everyone would love to pull a 1953 300 SL out of the ground, but that's not why we're here/ We're here to pick a current offering from our weisswurst eating good buddies that will best illustrate the 2008 state of the German automotive scene in 50 years time. Got it? Gut. If we were to travel back in time to… 2004, I'd be all about stuffing a Phaeton W12 into the earth. Chairman Piech's "Best Car in the World" was (to some) exactly that. More importantly though, it was a symbol of Germanic Automotive ascendancy. Volkswagen had just purchased Bentley and Lamborghini and was in the process of of reviving Bugatti. Daimler was DaimlerChrysler. Imagine how many times General Patton spun in his grave because Mercedes-Benz owned Jeep. Porsche was on top of the world launching both an SUV and the Carrera GT. Not to be out down, BMW had just released the best ever Rolls-Royce, the best ever Range Rover and (to some) the best ever Mini. And there stood the Phaeton, a monument to itself. But in the world of cars, years are in fact dog years. Four years is a long time ago. So, which one's it going to be? I vote for the RS4 Avant, because I'm certain our grandchildren will appreciate a perfect car. You?

You guys out-smarted me yesterday. (Not that I should be surprised, as TTAC is known far and wide for its brainy readers.) Still, you approached the American Time Capsule QOTD fom an angle I hadn't even considered. I was wondering which car would be worth the most filthy lucre in 2058. My answer? A Dodge Viper SRT10 ACR. (If a 1969 Mustang is fetching seven figures today, you can't even imagine what a sub-10 mpg V10 monster will be worth when gasoline is illegal.) But then y'all flipped the scrip and pondered what car best encapsulates (so to speak) our current automotive times. I've long held the opinion that future generations will look back at our 5,500+ lbs SUVs and think, "What in the fuck?" And pulling the Cadillac Escalade EXT (that's the pickup version) out of the ground will forever settle the argument that we share a common ancestor with chimps. But those are American cars. Today, we talk Japanese. Me? I'd bury a Toyota Century. But that's because you know ToMoCo will still be building the damn JDM-only things in 50 years when internal combustion engines are seen as worse than shooting-up babies with dope– big V12 and all. Hey, those upper crusty salarymen have needs, no? Plus, they're beautiful. You?

Ouch. According to The Motor Authority, the big cat didn't quite move 60,500 units last year. Yet its British sibling Land Rover sold 226,395 4x4s. Turns out that our nouveau riche Russian and Chinese comrades prefer rock-hopping to intercontinental cruising. Who knew? We're kidding by the way, as 99.9% of those Land Rovers will never leave socialist asphalt. Regardless, Jaguar is shagged. The Blue Oval Boyz blame for their sub-brand's sharp sales decline on the S-Type's death rattle. We're thinking several decades of inept management culminating in front wheel-drive diesel-powered Ford station wagons had something to do with it. But what about the new XF? Well, as car-mudgeon Jeremy Clarkson points out, Jaguar's new 5-Series competitor fails to realize the XF concept car's mission critical sex appeal. How'd Jezza put it? "Arguing that the two have the same proportions and stance is like saying I have the same proportions and stance as Brad Pitt. I do. But I'm never asked for his autograph." Jaguar dealers are claiming 10,000 pre-orders. As George Carlin would say, what the hell's a pre-order? An order before an order? Oh, and did you think Tata Motors wanted to buy Jag? No way. To acquire profitable Land Rover, the Indian motoring powerhouse had to adopt the underachieving, inbred, basket case money pit as well. They're still trying to get out of that one. 

Some of you will remember our post concerning the possibility of Infiniti badge-engineering themselves a GT-R. Our stance? Perish the thought! However, we did end the screed by saying it would behoove the Franco-Japanese house that Ghosn built to consider a four-door Godzilla. Turns out we're quite the prognosticators. Ye olde Motor Trend is reporting that a "senior source" buried deep within Nissan has "confirmed" the possibility of "studying" the option of building just such a world-beating hyper-sedan. Easier said than done, maybe. The new GT-R is (kinda) based on Nissan's crowd pleasing Front-Midship (FM) architecture. But it's so 'roided-up that Nissan refers to it as PM (Premiere-Midship). They could stretch it and bolt on two extra doors, but it would cost about $5,000 more than the existing GT-R coupe. C'est rien: a small price to pay for the knowledge that my Infiniti can whip the snot out of your IS-F, M3, RS-Whatever, etc.