Rack-hood/ranger Mid Size/all Years on 2040-parts.com

Concept Car of the Week: Volkswagen Microbus (2001)

The turn of the millennium seemed to induce a feeling of nostalgia among car manufacturers and with it a plethora of heritage/retro designs, including the new Mini, new Ford Mustang and Nissan Z. Following the runaway success of its New Beetle, which probably started the trend, VW asked itself whether it could enjoy the same success with a modern interpretation of the legendary T1 Microbus. Designed at the surf-central design studio in Simi Valley, California, the Microbus Concept took ample inspiration from its distant ancestor, but was modernized in every way.

2012 BMW 1-Series – it’s official

2012 BMW 1-Series - now from BMW When we reported that the 2012 BMW 1 Series had leaked out yesterday, we did say it wouldn’t take long for BMW to release details officially, especially as there were so many official photos of the 2012 1-Series. In the end it took all of 24 hours for BMW to get it together and send us details, which lets us fill in the gaps from yesterday on detail, although there’s really nothing new on the photo front. We know from yesterday that the 2012 BMW 1-Series is bigger than the outgoing car, and that the styling, particularly on the nose, is a more confident statement than before.

Two top Ford execs to retire

Two top Ford Motor Co. executives, CFO Lewis Booth and global product development chief Derrick Kuzak-- both key architects of the automaker's recovery--will retire on April 1, the automaker said Thursday. Booth, 63, will be succeeded by Bob Shanks, Ford's vice president and controller.