Airtex 3a1326 Hvac Blower Motor Resistor on 2040-parts.com

Michelin Challenge Design 2007: The not so ugly truth about rising vehicle safety standards

Can cars be safe and beautiful at the same time? That may not have been the case a few decades ago when automakers were forced to hang those big, ugly so-called federal bumpers off the ends of their vehicles.  With vehicle safety standards on the rise around the globe are designers today feeling a little '70s deja vu when it comes to meeting the challenges of making cars safe as well as more fuel efficient? "(Back then) we said it was the end of automotive styling," says Patrick Le Quement, senior vice president for corporate design at Renault and one of the world's most influential automotive designers.

Renault R-Space concept car (2011) at 2011 Geneva motor show

Renault will show off a glimpse of its thinking for the Scenic segment with the new R-Space concept car at the 2011 Geneva motor show. It’s a 4.3m long show car that’s designed to inject some pizzazz where today’s Scenic prefers a more sober style. The new-fangled Renault look as pioneered by incoming design chief Laurens van den Acker is present and correct: there’s a large diamond on the nose and heaps more character than the current MPV.

Ferrari 458 Italia Revealed

The first pictures of the new Ferrari 458 Italia These are the first pictures of Ferrari’s 458 Italia, released this morning ahead of the official reveal at the Frankfurt Motor Show in September. Clearly showing influences from the Enzo and the Mille Chille Concept car, the F430 replacement will undoubtedly go upmarket in terms of price to differentiate it from Ferrari’s entry-level car, the Ferrari California. Featuring a new, 4.5 litre V8 (hence the name – 458) , Ferrari claim the new engine has the highest specific output of any normally aspirated road-car engine, which is a hard claim to dispute as it produces 127bhp per litre.  It produces 562bhp at 9000 rpm, making it the highest revving Ferrari engine to date.