Dammit! It's all over the internet this weekend that Bentley, Ferrari (along with its sister company Maserati), and Lamborghini aren't going to be at the Los Angeles Auto Show in early December. Did they not hear that I'll be there? That About.com readers are waiting to see real, live images of the Ferrari 458 Italia? or the new Maserati GranTurismo convertible?

That leaves, according to Autoblog, Aston Martin, Audi, BMW, Fisker, Mercedes-Benz, Rolls-Royce, and Spyker. That's still a pretty good lineup, but seriously -- no Bentley Continental Supersports?

Aaarrrr, mateys. Or, actually, just the one R. As in Jaguar XKR or XFR. Anyone who purchased a 2010 Jaguar XKR or XFR, pirate or no, will be able to participate in the R Performance Academy at tracks across the country for free.

If you've got one of the R edition Jags, each of which has 510 hp, there are few places to really run the horses. So beginning with the December 1 at Homestead Miami Speedway, Jaguar will invite owners to gather for dedicated track time. Activities include track-day classics like maximum acceleration, autocross, and hot laps with racing drivers. There's also real-world practice, like complete ABS stopping and emergency lane changes.

The R-types had to be purchased by September, so if there's not one in your driveway, you're out of luck, matey. But you can live vicariously through my review of the 2010 Jaguar XKR convertible, which, sadly, I had during a week of rain. There are even pictures of the very wet R-type.

Remember that happy July day when the sun was shining, the Dodge Viper was given a reprieve, and all was right with the world? Well, the short winter days are getting to the guys in Detroit. Production of the Dodge Viper will end by July 2010.

Autoweek reported that the final 500 vehicles of the run will be special editions, but no details were given on just how special they might be. A new sports car is set to debut in 2012. Can we expect to see cooperation from fellow Fiat partner Ferrari? Fingers crossed ...

About.com readers are nothing if not informed. They also love to be in the loop far in advance and plan their summer schedules far in advance. And that is why I'm telling you now, in November 2009, about two cool events in the second half of 2010.

• Concorso Italiano will host the Ferrari F40 owners convention on Friday, August 13, 2010, in addition to its already staggering array of Italian autos. How many F40s might show up? Probably about 40. Maybe a few more. It's not like there were thousands of these things made, you know.
• Exotic Rally SoCal is three days of driving and fine dining on the famously twisty roads of Southern California, September 23-25, 2010. The catch? It's BYOE -- bring your own exotic. But if you've got a Gallardo sitting around with nothing to do, this could be the event for you. Or you could let me borrow that lonely Gallardo, and it could be the event for me. Just saying.