Ram1500 2001 User Defined 460995 on 2040-parts.com

Car Designers Blackmailed

A London court has found former design student Guy Lloyd-Parker guilty of blackmailing US car designers. The London College of Fashion graduate had claimed that 95 car design sketches were stolen from him by two college lecturers in 1994, eventually resurfacing as final designs in the form of the Audi TT, BMW Z3, Mazda RX-8 and the Volvo XC90. Lloyd-Parker, having failed to successfully sue the college, began sending menacing letters to California-based Volvo Design Director Geza Loczi, former BMW and Aston Martin designer Henrik Fisker, and ex-Mazda designer Tsutomu Matano demanding £90,000.

Land Rover Defender LXV celebrates 65 years of Land Rover

As part of the celebrations at Packington Estate – which was the original testing ground for the 1948 Defender prototypes – Land Rover are launching a celebratory Defender special edition – the Land Rover Defender LXV – based on the standard Defender and available in five different body styles and with the 2.2 litre diesel engine and 6-speed manual ’box. The Defender LXV gets the sort of toys no one could ever have envisaged on those early Defenders, including a Santorini Black or Fuji White paint job with Corris Grey roof, grille and headlight surrounds, full leather seats with orange contrast stitching, lots of ‘LXV’ badges and even the option of a Union flag on the back. John Edwards, LR’s Global Brand Director, said: Land Rover is celebrating 65 years of proud heritage.

Legendary designer Chip Foose teams up with Oakley for hot-rod shoes

Chip Foose has designed hot rods, concept and production cars for the Detroit Three and has a room full of America's Most Beautiful Roadster and Ridler awards--the pinnacle for a hot-rodder. He's even designed a casino, the Motor City Casino in Detroit. And now, he has penned a shoe.