1956 Lincoln Color Chip Sheet Brochure on 2040-parts.com

Renault Fluence Z.E.

Honoring its 2009 Frankfurt motor show pledge to offer EV's by 2012, Renault has announced the Fluence Z.E., which will soon be offered alongside its conventionally-powered sibling. In making its transition to EV, the Fluence has undergone several changes; the most obvious being the battery pack which dictated an increase in the car's overall length. The extended rear quarter panels, which equate to the 130mm growth, add a sizeable visual weight to the rear of the car.

Chevy Cruze Diesel: As torquey as a classic Camaro?

From the Department Of Silly Press Releases comes this missive from deep within the bowels of the Renaissance Center, Junior Wool-Pulling Division, located next to the Quizno's. "Cruze Clean Turbo Diesel Delivers Classic Muscle Car Torque," it reads, and while torque is the Great Equalizer of the continued championing of the diesel engine, comparing it to the sturm und drang of launching a 1972 Camaro Z28 from the parking lot of the Hendersonville, Tenn., Shoney's is tantamount to the sort of blasphemy that gets people excommunicated. For the record, the Chevrolet Cruze Diesel's 2.0-liter turbodiesel engine produces 264 lb-ft of torque, more than the Volkswagen Jetta TDI's at 236 lb-ft.

Help Kickstart this book of 75 top designers' innermost thoughts

New material from interviews with over 75 of the world's most talented designers of all disciplines will feature in a new book from the maker of the design documentaries 'Helvetica', 'Objectified' and 'Urbanized'. For the three documentaries director Gary Hustwit recorded over a hundred hours of interviews but less than three hours were used. But instead of keeping the treasure trove secret, he has collated them into a new book, ‘Helvetica/Objectified/Urbanized: The Complete Interviews' so designers in all fields can share in them.