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

Mini Vision concept: what does it say about the brand's future?

The sight of Mini design head Anders Warming presenting a holographic, 3D projection of the Mini Vision concept as if appearing in his own cartoon was certainly a new one on us, but it captured the quirky, slightly left-field image the subsidiary of BMW Group has cultivated since its relaunch 13 years ago. As the 'Vision' tag suggests, this is billed as a marker of intent for the brand's future design direction rather than a pre-production teaser of the new Mini hatchback (Cooper in most markets) we'll see later this year. However if the third-generation 'new' Mini doesn't look remarkably similar we'd be amazed, such is the level of productionized detailing on this purely digital model.

New 2011 / 2012 Ferrari 612 is 4×4 Shooting Brake

The 2011 / 2012 Ferrari 612 will be a 4x4 Shooting Brake (render by Vandenbrink design) Last month we had an email in from Argentina pointing us towards spy shots published by Autoblog Argentina which seemed to be of an all wheel drive Ferrari 612. Which tied in very well with the story we ran over a year ago when we reported that a 4×4 platform for the next Ferrari 612 was a certainty, just six months after we reported Ferrari were working on four wheel drive hybrid propulsion system. But the Ferrari 4×4 setup is very different to the permanent all wheel drive system used by Lamborghini.

EyesOn Design 2008

If seeing is believing, then the Detroit Institute of Ophthalmology (DIO) does their share of making new believers annually, including those who are visually impaired. Originally founded in 1972 by Dr. Philip Hessburg and his associates in Grosse Pointe, Michigan, out of a genuine appreciation for fine automobiles, the DIO gives credit to the designers who have given these cars their individual beauty.