Arias Pistons 12.5:1 Compression 82mm Bore Honda B-series on 2040-parts.com

BMW Vision ConnectedDrive (2011) first pictures

This gorgeous two-seat roadster is the BMW Vision ConnectedDrive, set to be unveiled at the 2011 Geneva motor show. Unlike some of BMW’s other Vision-tagged concept cars, this unfortunately isn’t a thinly disguised production car, but a study designed to highlight the company’s driver assistance systems.  However, although BMW has released no details on the engine or layout under the sexy skin, thankfully the Vision ConnectedDrive’s stunning styling (including the shark nose, wrap-around rear lights and layered body) will find its way onto future production BMWs.  For a start sensors in the headlamps and rear lights monitor the traffic situation and the environment around the car, while instead of wing mirrors there are antennas that receive navigation data and transmit other information. Inside the driver has a 3D head-up display, and the system can project information about the chosen sat-nav route so it appears at the exact point of a possible turn-off. The 3D system also displays information in the foreground or background of the display depending on its relevance.

Dok-ing Automotive contest calls for fresh interior designs

Dok-ing Automotive has launched a global sketch contest calling for interior designs for its XD concept.  Launched in collaboration with the Automotive Design Conference, the Croatian carmaker wants to see new, fresh and luxurious interior designs that embody its company slogan – ‘Driving First Class'. The XD's high-quality materials, colors, shapes along with the doors and seating layout offers a lot of scope for personalization through the use of color and material and so the design needs to be easy to alter in production. Your submission has to include three seats, three touchscreens on the dashboard (a 12″ central screen and two 17″ screens on each side) as well as the Dok-ing Automotive logo.

Who is the greatest car designer at work today?

6 August 2012 update: Click here for the full CAR design power list story - from CAR magazine August 2010 issue It's a classic pub banter for anyone with a drop of petrol in their veins: who is the greatest car designer? Stylists are the rock stars of the car industry, the ones who bring to life the metal boxes that transport you and I around our daily lives. The new August 2010 issue of CAR Magazine, out on Wednesday 21 July, reveals the CAR Top 30, as we count down the most influential, successful and downright talented designers in the auto industry.