Mopar 53020931 Engine Oil Dipstick on 2040-parts.com

Toyota announces winners in design competition (w/ Video)

Toyota has announced the winners of a sponsored design competition hosted by London's Royal College of Art. Based on the theme of ‘Intelligent Urban Living', the winners include a simple but effective vertical storage system to keep bikes out of reach of thieves and a keyboard display that makes life easier for two-fingered typists. Inspired by the design of Toyota's innovative iQ city car, which addresses many of the challenges of modern city living with its compact dimensions, the contest generated inspiration that gave a new twist to some familiar household objects and produced innovations to make modern life easier and more environmentally responsible.

Michelin Challenge Design announces 2007 jury

The safety focus of this year's challenge requires designers to consider the vehicle's occupants as well as those who share the road traveling in other vehicles or as pedestrians. Entries will be evaluated for their accident-avoidance, occupant-protection and pedestrian-safety characteristics. Judges are also looking at the commercial viability and overall visual appeal of the work.

Barn-stored, one-off Lagonda V12 heads to auction

Lagonda is now a nameplate associated with Aston Martin; even though the two companies' histories have been closely intertwined for the past half century, Lagonda was once an independent marque whose creations rivaled those from Crewe and Newport Pagnell. The marque's historical models are rare on any side of the pond now, but every once in a while we see one of its cars make a grand entrance. This V12 two-door Hooper saloon was a one-off built for the wife of the owner of Hooper Bodies Ltd.