Let Q modify your Aston Martin

We imagine there were really two options for naming Aston Martin's new personalization program: Q, or something boring like Amalgamated Personalisation & Colour Programme, complete with British spellings that will vex most spell-checking software and render it unsearchable in Google. Fortunately, Aston Martin has wisely decided to adopt the same name as the Quartermaster in Ian Fleming's "James Bond" novels -- a pure coincidence, we're told. Lucky owners of these customized machines will be able to tell their friends that it was Q who added a few special touches to their cars.

Flashback: Pontiac killed on April 27, 2009

It was precisely two years ago today--April 27, 2009--that Pontiac met its demise. In hindsight, the decision made a lot of sense for General Motors, which six weeks later would file for bankruptcy. But at the time, many enthusiasts were more than a bit upset that 80 years of Pontiac--once the third-best-selling brand in the United States--was set for the scrap yard.

New Routemaster bus hits London streets

The very first new Routemaster hybrid bus began its first day of service in London today. The bus, whose exterior and interior were designed by Londoner Thomas Heatherwick, retains the distinct character of the old Routemaster – British as the London taxi and red telephone boxes – but is far more modern in its design and construction. The new Routemaster's main design features are its three sets of doors and two staircases, which it is hoped will ease the strain during rush hour in regards to alighting and entering the bus.