1940s-1950s Vintage Airguide Speedometer. Hot Rod Rat Rod Boat Speedometer on 2040-parts.com

BMW/Exa-sponsored project at ACCD

Art Center's BMW/Exa 7th term sponsored project, which we first reported on back in mid-February, recently had its final presentation at the conclusion of the Spring 2008 term. You'll recall the project tasked the students with redesigning a future X5 Sports Activity Vehicle with the express mandate improving its aerodynamic efficiency by at least 30 percent. To achieve this lofty goal, the co-sponsor on the project, Exa Corporation was going to provide both their engineering software PowerFLOW and their technical know-how to virtually test the students' Alias StudioTools design models and provide them with real world aerodynamic feedback.

Island tour kicks off Hilton Head weekend

Intermittent sun and cool temperatures greeted the several dozen participants in the Hilton Head Island Motoring Festival and Concours d’Elegance “behind the gates” driving tour Friday, kicking off the concours weekend. The 30-some mile tour wound in and out of several gated communities near Hilton Head Island, stopping at various points along the way for people to get a view of the cars. The tour featured an eclectic mix of vehicles, something not always seen in events such as this.

Lotus Elise Club Racer (2011) at 2011 Geneva motor show

The Lotus Elise Club Racer is the latest variation on the long-serving Elise, which will debut at the 2011 Geneva motor show. Disciples of the 'Lotus=lightweight' mantra will be pleased to know the Elise Club Racer does without the German tuner bling, additional luxury features or merchandising that have appeared during CEO Dany Bahar's bold reinvention of the Hethel sports car maker. The Elise Club Racer marks a return to old-school values for Lotus, with some 24kg of extraneous weight removed from the 15-year-old Elise; and added hardware tweaks to ensure the well-regarded roadster retains its performance edge.