Full Size Chevy Trunk Lid Compartment Bumper, 1967-1977 on 2040-parts.com

One Lap of the Web: Car fails, electronic plates and 3D printing cars

We spend a lot of time on the Internet -- pretty much whenever we're not driving, writing about or working on cars. Since there's more out there than we'd ever be able to cover, here's our daily digest of car stuff on the Web you may not otherwise have heard about. -- The Porsche museum in Stuttgart, Germany contains the history and automobiles that have made the company what it is to this day.

BMW i3 EV: More than 8,000 ordered already

The BMW i3 EV already has 8k orders BMW has invested heavily in their new ‘i’ range of electric cars – as much as £2 billion it’s estimated – with the ‘i’ cars being developed from scratch rather than based on an existing BMW model. The first BMW i to be launched is the compact city car BMW i3, revealed in production form in July, which costs from around £30k for the regular EV and an extra 10 per cent for the i3 with a range extender engine. Despite being revealed in July BMW has not yet officially put the i3 on sale, but that hasn’t stopped potential buyers lining up to palce a reservation, with more than 8,000 already signed-up for an i3.

Ford Atlas Concept [w/Gallery]

Ford has unveiled its Atlas Concept at the 2013 North American International Auto Show (NAIAS). The Atlas Concept previews the designs and technologies of future Ford pickup trucks – particularly the F150 – and features a chiseled grille (complete with automatic shutters) and a wide stance designed to emphasize the ‘Built Ford Tough' image. A drop-down front wind spoiler lowers at highway speeds to improve underbody airflow.