1970 1981 Camaro Door Window Track Assembly (channel Bracket & Stop) Lh Rear on 2040-parts.com

CES: GM to open the dashboard to developers

At last year's Autoweek Design Forum, father of the iPod and Nest Labs co-founder Tony Fadell suggested that automakers concentrate on designing and building cars, leaving handset makers to handle infotainment. The latest announcements from Ford and GM -- in conjunction with the International CES -- suggest that automakers would rather treat the dashboard space as a handset. Yesterday, Dearborn, Mich., announced the Ford Developer Program, which opens up Sync to outside application development; now General Motors has announced a similar initiative.

New Range Rover tows Airstream 684 to Africa – and back

Land Rover has hitched the 2013 Range Rover to the luxurious Airstream 648 and towed it to Africa and back – 3,676 miles in 11 days. But nothing rams home the abilities of a car, even a luxury SUV, like a long-term challenge; the novelty wears off and what is left is the inherent abilities to judge. And it seems Land Rover has managed to demonstrate just how able the new Range Rover is with the sort of towing job few Range Rover owners will ever undertake.

Bloodhound 1000mph World Speed Record attempt goes carbon neutral. Piffle.

Richard Noble’s Bloodhound Land Speed Record attempt will now be carbon neutral thanks to sponsorship by Carbon Neutral Investments (CNI). People like Richard Noble – leader of the Bloodhound Project aiming to break the 1000mph land speed record – are made of the same stuff as Spitfire pilots and Biggles, with a gung-ho approach to the inherent dangers and an inability to contemplate failure; British Bulldog Spirit at its best. So it seems almost sad that a proper Boy’s Own adventure like the Bloodhound SSC – a 133,000bhp rocket and jet powered racing car – should bow to trendy PC sensibilities by announcing it’s a ‘Carbon Neutral’ project.