98 99 00 01 02 03 04 Intrepid R. Side View Mirror Power Fixed Satin 1507536 on 2040-parts.com

Man-made Modern Luxury Materials in Cars

Luxury, within the context of a car interior, has been closely related to the use of wood and leather for over a century. These natural materials have a familiar organic, tactile quality that are intrinsically desirable attributes for most people and, in today's mass manufactured plastic world, they also assume a luxury or premium quality. Throughout the last century, metal, leather and wood have also been progressively supplanted by bakelite, vinyl and then polymer-based plastic materials in car interiors as well.

Mini paints Rocketman concept, celebrates Britain ahead of Olympics

Mini has updated the 2011 Geneva motor show Rocketman concept to celebrate the 2012 Summer Olympic Games in London. The Rocketman concept couldn't make the leap to production status, we reported in January. For those interested in all the “changes” the one-off concept received to celebrate the Games, the full press release is reproduced below: Munich/Oxford/London.

Enthusiast 3D prints an Aston Martin DB4

New Zealand enthusiast Ivan Sentch is in the process of 3D printing a 1961 Aston Martin DB4. Engadget reports that he bought a $499 Solidoodle 3D printer and has been working on this project since December 2012. Using a Nissan Skyline as a donor car, he'll make a fiberglass mold of the print and hopefully transform this thing into a drivable, street-legal car for a fraction of the cost of an authentic DB4.