Electromotive Tec Gt Engine Management System on 2040-parts.com

The Bloodhound SuperSonic Car is a rocket-powered land missle

The ambitious British Bloodhound SuperSonic Car project took a significant step forward in the quest to raise the world's land speed record to 1,000 mph when the machine's main power unit—a spectacularly forceful rocket engine—was successfully test fired Oct. 3. The rocket is believed to be the largest designed in Europe in decades, and its 185-decible noise level is said to be many times louder than a Boeing 747 during takeoff.

Exclusive: Laurens van den Acker to replace Patrick le Quément at Renault

The wheels of change are continuing to turn within the automotive design industry, with yet another new appointment being made at the director level. According to industry insiders, Laurens van den Acker is set become the new Design Director at Renault when Patrick le Quément retires later this year. One of the most pre-eminent car designers in the world, Patrick le Quément began his design career at Simca, worked at Ford for 17 years and did a brief stint at Volkswagen before taking the top design job at Renault.

Birth of an Icon

The first thing you notice when you step into Icon's sprawling, 120,000-square-foot shop in Chatsworth, Calif. -- past the fenced-in yard of Broncos of every size and Land Cruisers of every generation, past the 1952 Chrysler Town & Country station wagon with the DeSoto front end and a massaged patina of greens, browns, and ochres resembling a Cezanne painting -- is the smell. It smells old in here.