B67824252; Ipod Interface Module, Mercedes Clk350 Clk550 Clk63 C209 A209 W209 on 2040-parts.com

Russian and American military vehicles in Ukrainian ex-president's collection

Last week the world got a glimpse of Ukrainian ex-president Viktor Yanukovych's surprisingly eclectic car collection, which included dozens of cars that have never been exhibited in any museum or classic car show outside the former USSR. The sprawling garage at the Mezhyhirya villa became public only last weekend, hours after Yanukovych's nighttime escape by helicopter to Russia. Hundreds of ordinary citizens and journalists from all around the world strode freely into the villa, finding an abundance of abandoned wealth, some of which was even tasteful.

Infiniti planning to take on Porsche Panamera

Infiniti planning to make the Essence Concept (pictured) in to a Panamer-like Coupe Back in 2009 – ahead of Infiniti launching in Europe – the Infiniti Essence arrived at the Geneva Motor Show as an illustration of what we could expect to see from Infiniti in the future. That was four years ago, but now it looks like the Essence may be on its way to production – after a slight stretch and the acquisition of a couple of extra doors – after Andy Palmer, Nissan’s VP for Future Products, told Automotive News Infiniti is planning a range-topping flagship to take on the Porsche Panamera. The Essence seems a good starting point for that mission; it’s already a big (over 15′ long) swoopy-coupe with a hybrid powerplant consisting of a 3.7 litre turbo V6 and electric motor combination good for 590bhp.

Ford invents agile, low-cost solution for prototyping, customization and limited production [w/video]

A new metal forming technique pioneered by Ford that drastically reduces the time and cost of producing low-volume and one-off body parts may lead to cost-effective customization, redesigns, one-offs and limited production runs. Ford Freeform Fabrication Technology (F3T) forms sheets of metal by two stylus-like tools, one on each side of the surface. Using CAD data they form the part to the exacting strength and finish tolerances usually associated with stamping dies.