Bell Automotive 22-1-56601-8 Black Shaggy Universal Bucket Seat Cover on 2040-parts.com

One Lap of the Web: A podcast anniversary and a Facellia

-- Ford's F-350 can tow 35,000 pounds, which is pretty nifty. But it's lacking one crucial element in race-car transporting: it really could use Plymouth logos and a red, white and blue paint job with the word "REBEL" emblazoned on the side in the same lettering that announced Roosevelt's presidency. Hence, this 1965 Dodge C500 ramp truck built to look like something you could find in the paddock of Fontana Drag City circa 1965 with an altered-wheelbase Belvedere Funny Car on the back and a case of Tecate where the Mac tools go.

New Land Rover Freelander will actually be a Discovery

It seems – as we expected – that Land Rover are looking to make more sense of their range of off-roaders as new models are launched, and are going to concentrate on three core brands – Range Rover, Discovery and Defender – instead of the current mish-mash where many models really overlap with others (the top end Discoverys are really a cheaper Range Rover). So the next Freelander will become an entry-level Discovery with underpinnings borrowed from the Evoque (which is itself based on the current Freelander platform, a development of the Ford Galaxy’s platform), and arrive in both 5-seat and 7-seat guise, with the new Discovery ’5′ getting a platform based on the new Range Rover and perhaps spawning two models. The new Discovery range will be targeted as a ‘Lifestyle’ core range for Land Rover (much as the original Disco was) and the Range Rover range will be both sporty and luxurious, with a 7-seat Grand Evoque XL joining the current Evoque, Range Rover Sport and Range Rover.

Former General Motors CEO Robert Stempel dies

Former General Motors CEO Robert Stempel, who led the automaker during a turbulent period of recession and restructuring in the early 1990s, has died at the age of 77. "Bob was a very popular chairman with employees, and his many accomplishments as a visionary engineer included leading the development of the catalytic converter, one of the great environmental advancements in auto history," GM said in a statement. "His knowledge of battery development led to the push for the EV1 electric car, and Bob continued to build his expertise in the electrification of the automobile after he left GM in 1992." Stempel died Saturday in Florida, the Detroit News and Detroit Free Press reported Monday night.