Ford Superduty 99-04 Vertical Billet Black Powdercoat Grill Insert Trim Cover on 2040-parts.com

Michelin Challenge Design 2007: The not so ugly truth about rising vehicle safety standards

Can cars be safe and beautiful at the same time? That may not have been the case a few decades ago when automakers were forced to hang those big, ugly so-called federal bumpers off the ends of their vehicles.  With vehicle safety standards on the rise around the globe are designers today feeling a little '70s deja vu when it comes to meeting the challenges of making cars safe as well as more fuel efficient? "(Back then) we said it was the end of automotive styling," says Patrick Le Quement, senior vice president for corporate design at Renault and one of the world's most influential automotive designers.

MINI Roadster: Official Pictures, Prices & Specs

MINI Roadster - official photos, specs and prices With the MINI Coupe hitting the roads just about now, next in line for MINI is the MINI Roadster, with the soft-top, two-seat MINI due to hit UK showrooms in the Spring. As a prelude to that, MINI got up early this Sunday morning to send us over 200 photos of the Roadster, together with specs of the Roadster models and the UK prices. Just like its tin-top sibling – the MINI Coupe – the MINI Roadster is all about the drive, so in every way that counts – apart from its drop top – the Roadster is a fresh-air Coupe.

Video shows Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 lapping the N

General Motors has been in Germany, testing the most powerful Chevrolet Camaro ever produced. On Wednesday, the company said the Camaro ZL1 posted a lap time of 7 minutes, 41.27 seconds. The 2012 Camaro ZL1 ran around the 13-mile course a tick faster than the 2005 Porsche 911 GT3 and a tick slower than 911 Turbo S.