Jim Cole / AP

A 1947 Ford Super Deluxe Sportsman Convertable is ready for auction along with neon signs.

Jim Cole / AP

The hood ornament on the front of a 1934 Ford Deluxe Paaeton which will be auctioned off ths weekend.

About 50 vintage cars, many from the 1930s and '40s, and neon signs, and other items from a bygone era are up for auction this weekend. The items are from investor and philanthropist Michael Dingman, the former Ford Motor Co. director. In addition to a rare 1936 Ford custom Cabriolet by Glaser, a 1934 Ford Deluxe Phaeton and a Aston Martin Vantage Volante, is a series of Route 66 signs. The preview for the auction is today in Hampton, N.H.

More about the auction and Dingman's collection.

The auction website - RM Auctions, where you can bid or just watch it live.

Pablo Martinez Monsivais / AP

President Barack Obama sits inside a Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 during his visit to the Washington Auto Show on Jan. 31.

Slideshow: Obama's third year in the White House

Saul Loeb / AFP - Getty Images

From the debt ceiling debacle to the death of Osama bin Laden, it was an eventful year in office for the nation's 44th president.

Launch slideshow

President Barack Obama hailed the rebound of the U.S. auto industry on Tuesday as he sat inside a classic American muscle car, plug-in electric hybrids and burly trucks during a tour of the Washington Auto Show.

He declared "The U.S. auto industry is back."

Obama emphasized his administration's rescue of General Motors and Chrysler from the brink of collapse as Romney was surging in Florida's GOP primary, a contest that could bring him a step closer to winning the Republican nomination.

-- The Associated Press contributed to this blog post

Related links:

• Obama plays up auto industry success story
  
• PhotoBlog: The Florida Republican primary

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