King Ka 52 Autopilot Adapter P/n 071-1055-00 on 2040-parts.com

Behind The Scenes: Hot Wheels Design Studio [w/Video]

Hot Wheels' vice president of design Felix Holst has spent some time chatting to Cool Hunting about the brand's design philosophy at its Design Studio at Mattel's headquarters in El Segundo, California, in a new video. According to Holst Hot Wheels has evolved from being focused on muscle cars and V8 engines to being all about technology as a reflection of the new generation they're designing for.  He explains the benefits of designing over 240 vehicles a year that aren't limited by rules and regulations, saying in a studio that's driven by pushing the boundaries, it's a question of just how wild they can get.  The video really captures not only the men's passion for their jobs but the fun they have doing it. Small wonder Holst says he'd never go back to car design, and reveals the studio is packed with qualified car designers who chose Hot Wheels over conventional jobs in the industry.  We also hear from Hot Wheels Car Maker's designer Julian Payne, who explains how the new Car Maker – which gives you the chance to mold your own custom Hot Wheels at home – works.

Toyota condemns the Electric Car

Electric cars - like the Reva NXG - are not a viable mass-market option. Toyota’s head of R&D in Europe – Masato Katsumata – said in a speech that the electric vehicle won’t be a mass-market phenomenon, and that the future – at least in the coming decades – will be petrol engine hybrids. “We don’t see any short-term breakthrough in battery technology” he said.

Lexus LFA Nurburgring (2010) first official pictures

Lexus hasn’t even started production of the LFA supercar yet, but it’s already unveiled a limited edition version – the Lexus LFA Nurburgring. Built to celebrate the LFA’s entry into the 2010 Nurburgring 24 Hours race, just 50 versions of this track-focussed supercar will be made. The tweaks and changes aren’t radical: the front-mounted 4.8-litre V10 has 10 bhp more (up to 562bhp) and the automated manual ‘box now shifts quicker (gear changes are down from 0.2 to 0.15 seconds) though the 3.7sec 0-62mph time and 202mph top speed remain the same.