Mercedes-benz Type 230-250-280, 114, Catalog B, 1973 , Paperback, Illustrated on 2040-parts.com

Art Center BMW/Exa project

There's a new sponsored project that is just getting under way at Art Center College of Design, the likes of which hasn't been seen in a very long time - if at all. The school's Transportation Design department has helped bring together BMW with Exa Corporation, a Boston-based virtual aerodynamic simulation company, and has tasked the students to re-design the current BMW X5 Sports Activity Vehicle with the hope of dramatically increasing its aerodynamic efficiency while still retaining the BMW flagship SAV design language. This brief is quite timely in the context of the industry's ongoing focus with sustainability and strikes at the core of the BMW Group's long term energy strategy known as the concept of Efficient Dynamics.

Lamborghini Gallardo LP550-2 Valentino Balboni Spyder Spied +Video

The Lamborghini LP550-2 Valentini Balboni Spyder at the Nurburgring Lamborghini is aiming to bring a new car along to every major motor show. But Lamborghini’s meaning of ‘New Car’ is probably slightly different to the rest of us. What Lamborghini means is that they’ll have a fiddle with an existing model and turn out another iteration.

Infographic: How much clay do Ford’s design studios use each year?

Ford has offered an insight into its clay modeling processes with a series of videos and an infographic that charts the process involved in turning a designer's sketch into a full-size model. The infographic uses data taken from all of Ford's global design studios in 2012 to give an idea of how much clay is used in a year, plus how much paint and di-noc film is used to cover each model. Ford has also released a video that gives a behind-the-scenes look at the firm's clay modeling studio in Merkenich, Germany, including interviews with members of the modeling team.