1949 Ford Convertible Advertisement, Vintage Ad on 2040-parts.com

Ford testing self-parking cars – with or without a driver (video)

Ford testing self-parking cars – with or without a driver It seems we’re heading to the point where cars can do more and more for the driver, and fully autonomous cars seem to be less than a decade away. On the way to the fully autonomous car, car makers will be offering stages on the way as the ability of cars to be self-controlling moves along, and Ford are heading in that direction with their new systems for parking and obstacle avoidance. Ford are running prototypes with Fully Assisted Parking, a system that manages to sense a space, control the steering, gearbox and brakes to park the car at the touch of a button, even if the driver isn’t actually in the car.

Fisker lays off majority of staff

This story originally appeared on Automotive News Fisker Automotive, the plug-in hybrid sports-car maker that has been grappling with financial troubles, laid off about 160 of its more than 200 employees Friday morning. A Fisker source who was among the employees affected said the layoff took place at about 8 a.m. Pacific.

Porsche 917s at Goodwood – Porsche Goodwood News

Porsche are bringing a number of Porsche 917 Le Mans cars to the Goodwood Festival of Speed But Porsche aren’t just bringing along the 917s, they’re also bringing along a bunch of 917 drivers to re-create their exploits, including Richard Attwood, former F1 driver and 1970 Le Mans winner for Porsche, driving a 917; sports car racing legend Brian Redman will be behind the wheel of the 917/30 CanAm racer; David Piper, who bought a 917 new from the factory in 1969, will be driving his own car; and Jackie Oliver, who won Le Mans in 1969, will be reunited with an evocative Gulf-liveried 917. Treats galore. But Porsche aren’t going to waste the opportunity to bring along something more contemporary.