1968 Cadillac Sun Visors Blue Pair on 2040-parts.com

Happy 80th Birthday, Syd Mead!

Take a poll among car designers to name their greatest influence, and one name is sure to appear at the top of the list: Syd Mead. The car designer, illustrator and futurist has inspired generations of the men and women who shape the cars we drive or admire. Syd has created the designs for the movies Blade Runner and Tron, while the illustrations published in his books such as Oblagon and Sentury (sought-after collector items today) depict the vision of a future dominated by superior technology and aesthetics.

Wheel maker connects with exotic clientele via social media

Reaching potential buyers of custom wheels for exotic cars takes more than buying ads in magazines. Miami-based ADV.1 Wheels is building a business fueled by a social-media approach that includes car-forum interaction, photo shoots and short films on the Internet. The company launched a Facebook fan page in late March, has received more than 59,000 “likes” and aims for 100,000--at which point ADV.1 Wheels has promised to give away a set of the company’s Trakfunction wheels.

Jaguar XJ75 Platinum Concept at Pebble +video

The Jaguar XJ75 Platinum Concept unveils today at Pebble Beach At least we’re back to Jaguars with a badge that makes sense. Following on from the Jaguar XK175 produced by Jaguar USA to commemorate 175 75 years of Jaguar, today we get the Jaguar XJ75 Platinum Concept bowing in at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, the first time we’ve had a concept based on the new XJ. Does it point somewhere?