Mercury Mariner V6 Lower Unit on 2040-parts.com

Michelin Challenge Design competition celebrates 10 years

Michelin has released a short video documenting the last ten years of the Challenge Design competition. With excepts from jury members Freeman Thomas, Director of Advanced Design at Ford; Victor Nacif, VP of Design at Nissan Design Europe; Geza Loczi, Director of Design at Volvo Monitoring Concept Center; Dave Marek, Advanced Design Director for Honda North America; Steward Reed, Chair of Transportation Design at ACCD; Frank Saucedo, Design Director of GM's Advanced Design Studio in California and Chris Chapman of BMW Designworks USA, the video outlines some of the 2700 entries Michelin has received since the competition's inception in 2002. That year, the MCD display at the NAIAS in Detroit featured cars from European design houses.

Selling in the Motor City: RM Auctions hawks muscle cars, classic sheetmetal--and even a boat at Detroit event

The steering wheel in a 1960 Cadillac Eldorado Biarritz convertible is surprisingly thin. It's oversized and humongously circular--but still startlingly narrow considering it directs a very barge-like Caddy. Oh, and the seats are fairly comfortable.

Details of UK's £5000 Plug-In Car Grants published

The Government has signed off the Plug-In Car Grants, giving details of which electric cars qualify for the £5000 grants. The incentive means that cars such as the Vauxhall Ampera will cost £28,995, GM confirmed today. Transport secretary Philip Hammond and business minister Mark Prisk announced the scheme and confirmed which areas will qualify for the second round of Plugged-In Places funding - allowing councils to install electric car recharging networks.