One Lap of the Web: Loewy, Knieval and an evil Capri

-- If you've been on Google today, you may have noticed the tribute to famed industrial designer Raymond Loewy who penned, among countless other icons, the Studebaker Avanti. Loewy was born on November 5, 1893 -- read more about his life and designs here, and about his Studebaker Avanti here. -- Courtesy of an English auto body shop, this series of photos is a must-see for anyone contemplating the purchase of an old car.

McLaren MP4-12 650S hits the Web ahead of official Geneva reveal

Images of the new McLaren MP4-12 650S have leaked to the Internet ahead of a planned unveiling for the British supercar at the Geneva Motor Show in early March. Created in response to customer demand for an edgier version of the McLaren MP4-12C offering greater levels of driver engagement, the 650S runs a more heavily tuned version of McLaren's twin-turbocharged 3.8-liter V8 direct-injection engine producing a claimed 25 hp more than the variant used by standard sibling for a total of 641 hp (as its name suggests 650 ps -- metric hp). Further details remain scarce ahead of the MP4-12C 650S's official public unveiling in Switzerland two weeks from now, although information passed on to prospective customers at a private presentation of the new two-seater held last week suggest it is also in line to receive a series of modifications to its seven-speed dual clutch gearbox, suspension, steering, brakes and aerodynamics -- all aimed at providing it with a more aggressive nature and added racetrack ability.

Chrysler 200C EV unveiled at Detroit auto show 2009

By James Foxall Motor Shows 12 January 2009 13:07 With the years of elaborate stage sets and money-burning stunts such as driving cars through plate glass windows consigned firmly to the history books, Chrysler’s 2009 Detroit Motor Show stand was a sober place to be. While Ford and General Motors executives chose largely to ignore the financial crisis and government bail outs by pretending they hadn’t happened, Chrysler president Jim Press started his presentation by cracking jokes about it. He then outlined how the company – in an aggressive restructuring programme before the credit crisis – was responding.