1968 Chevy Impala Heater Defroster Control 730098 - Cable on 2040-parts.com

MINI Beachcomber Concept revealed

The Countryman-based MINI Beachcomber Concept Another month in 2009 and yet another MINI. When we reported last month on the MINI Rolls Royce Edition we reckoned that BMW had managed to produce a dozen new models of the MINI in 2009, although the number of new models and limited editions is so large we thought we might have missed one or two. But if we were right with the dozen models at that point you can now make that a baker’s dozen with the reveal of MINI’s latest creation – The MINI Beachcomber.

Aston Martin make Nissan’s Andy Palmer their new CEO

Andy Palmer (pictured) is taking the reins at Aston Martin Lagonda Aston Martin has effectively been without a boss since Ulrich Bez stepped down from the role last year, but that changes with the announcement that Andrew Palmer – until now, Chief Planning Officer of Nissan – is to step in to the role. There’s no specific start date for Andy Palmer at Aston, but Nissan has announced that Philippe Klein will take up Palmer’s role at Nissan on 15 September, so it shouldn’t be long before Palmer holds the reins at Aston Martin. But what exactly has persuaded Andy Palmer to jump from a big corporate behemoth like Nissan to a struggling luxury car maker with owners who either want to tug the operating strings (the Kuwaitis) or are looking for a quick return (Investindustrial)?

CCS Ford Model T project

This past semester, eleven junior-level College for Creative Studies (CCS) Transportation Design students were asked to reinterpret an automotive icon: the Ford Model T. Over the course of the 16-week semester the students created 11 different concepts for a Model T for the future without forgetting the underlying principle - creating an icon that would have equal significance and social impact like the 100 year old original.   On April 30 each of the students presented their research, sketches, renderings and one- quarter scale models judged by Peter Horbury, Ford Executive Director of Design, The Americas and Pat Schiavone, Ford's Design Director for North America Trucks and CUVs. The winning concept, which the judges thought best embodied the spirit, innovation and sociological impact equal to that of the original Model T, was created by Dong Tran, of Cicero, New York.