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Bentley designers create one-off pieces to benefit The Prince's Trust

Bentley Motors graduates are to stage an auction of handcrafted collector's items in a fundraising event for The Prince's Trust. Workers from the Tooling, Woodshop and Styling teams at the manufacturer have crafted around 20 different stylish and high-end products to auction off online in aid of the UK youth charity, which is headed by the Prince of Wales and provides practical and financial support to 14 to 30-year-olds. Display items include a chess set with pieces tooled from aluminum set on a classy veneered board and a table crafted from a polished V8 engine from the Bentley Mulsanne and a cutlery set commissioned by Robert Welch, engraved with the Bentley emblem.

Ford door protector takes the sting out of dings

Nothing ruins car joy like a door ding--whether it's the first blemish on your pride and joy or the latest door divot. Now, the engineers at Ford in Europe have developed a way to take the sting out of the parking lot--a retractable door-edge protector for the Ford Focus. It's no surprise that this comes from Europe, where roads are narrow and parking spaces are squeezed tight.

From 'Made in China' to 'Designed in China'

Visitors to the recent Auto China in Beijing may have noticed an impressive new Chinese sports car – called Aculeus – on one of the smaller exhibitor stands. The concept car is the latest project undertaken by CH-Auto Technology Corporation – one of a growing number of automotive R&D service companies based in China that provides support to the OEMs. The company was established in August 2003 by Lu Qun, an engineer who originally trained at Tsinghua University and later specialized in engine development testing.