1959 Amc Rambler Ambassador & Rebel Rear Brake Linings Nos #2 on 2040-parts.com

Former General Motors CEO Robert Stempel dies

Former General Motors CEO Robert Stempel, who led the automaker during a turbulent period of recession and restructuring in the early 1990s, has died at the age of 77. "Bob was a very popular chairman with employees, and his many accomplishments as a visionary engineer included leading the development of the catalytic converter, one of the great environmental advancements in auto history," GM said in a statement. "His knowledge of battery development led to the push for the EV1 electric car, and Bob continued to build his expertise in the electrification of the automobile after he left GM in 1992." Stempel died Saturday in Florida, the Detroit News and Detroit Free Press reported Monday night.

Better Place Electric Car visitor centre opens

Better Place have opened a visitor centre in Israel to demonstrate their battery swap technology for electric cars Last October we wrote about a start-up company in Israel – Better Place – that had a new way forward for electric cars by taking the purchase of battery packs out of the equation, and was developing a system for ‘Battery Swap’ stations where electric car owners could drive in and swap their battery pack for a fully-charged one in a few minutes. That story first brought to our attention our favourite quote of last year – by Nissan boss Carlos Ghosn – who said “A hybrid is like a mermaid: if you want a fish, you get a woman; if you want a woman, you get a fish.” Which probably explained why Nissan – and its partner Renault – got involved with Better Place. Better Place aims to address the main concerns of electric car drivers by making the battery packs in electric cars ‘swappable’.

Lotus Evora by Mansory (2011) at 2011 Geneva motor show

In the avalanche of hype surrounding Lotus's future ambitions, the current range of Lotus vehicles has been largely overlooked. With this in mind, Lotus has turned to an unexpected source to inject some media buzz and visual freshness into the Evora for the 2011 Geneva motor show: Mansory. Under the slogan 'Is it always wise to customise? If you must then do it with some style' Lotus has commissioned Mansory to customise the Evora – continuing the run of controversial new moves that the firm has made under CEO Dany Bahar’s leadership. Mansory has applied its well-known carbonfibre fetish to the Lotus coupe, bringing the Evora closer to the edgy styling cues of design chief Donato Coco’s next-generation Lotus concept cars.