Drawings For Self-construction Of A J3 Kitten Light Aircraft on 2040-parts.com

One Lap of the Web: Two-wheeled mayhem

-- The C-01 certainly qualifies as the lightest vehicle Lotus has ever built, because it's a bicycle. A sleek, carbon fiber bicycle for the 1992 Barcelona Olympics that blew minds and won races, while distilling form into agonizingly pure function. Simplify, and add Shimanos.

CCTV parking fines could be banned

COUNCILS in England could be banned from using CCTV cameras and "spy cars" to impose parking fines on motorists under new government proposals. Local Government Secretary Eric Pickles has said he wants to curb "overzealous" local authorities which use cameras to maximise their income from parking fines. He warned that public support for CCTV could be undermined if people believed they were being used to generate revenue rather than preventing crime.

Frankfurt auto show: Mercedes-Benz previews the electric B-class

Mercedes-Benz revealed an electric-powered B-class with range-extending capabilities at the Frankfurt motor show. This rounds out the company's line of standard gasoline- and diesel-engine versions in the second generation of the multipurpose fiver-seater. Set to go on sale in selected markets in 2013, the B-class E-cell Plus is propelled by a 136-hp electric motor that draws electricity from a lithium-ion battery mounted low within the car's MFA platform structure.