Powerstands Racing 2-up Passenger Bar 03-01830-22 on 2040-parts.com

Toyota FT-1 Concept revealed – it’s a new Toyota Supra (video)

Toyota FT-1Concept revealed – it’s a new Toyota Supra Toyota teased us with a concept photo back in December that looked like it was previewing a Supra for the 21st century, and it’s been revealed today at the Detroit Auto Show as the Toyota FT-1 Concept. The FT-1 Concept is the result of Toyota’s Calty design studio in California to create the ultimate sports car and, say Toyota, is a strikingly modern design that makes reference to past Toyotas like the  2000GT from the 1960s. Toyota aren’t making any claims for the FT-1′s powertrain yet (FT stands for ‘Future Toyota’ and the ’1′ the ultimate) and comes with a front engine/ rear wheel drive configuration, with a cockpit set back within the wheelbase and wraparound screen.

Essay: Variable Degrees of Translucency

Car door panels and fenders are generally made of steel, sometimes of aluminum or plastic composites, and you can't see through them. Car windows, on the other hand, are made of a transparent sandwich of glass and plastic - and you can see through them. But in the future there will be variable degrees of transparency: translucent elements where once there were none, traditional window areas that will have opaque elements and graduated progressions from opaque to see-through.

McLaren MP4-12C Spider (2012) first official pictures

For the naysayers who continue to decry McLaren's MP4-12C for a supposed lack of visual and visceral drama, the British supercar maker has unveiled this: the new 2012 McLaren MP4-12C Spider. Mechanically identical to the newly updated MP4-12C coupe, the Spider gets a unique retractable hard-top to keep out the rain, just in time for its wintry lanch in November 2012. How is the McLaren 12C Spider's folding roof unique?