Suzuki Savage Ls650 S40 Flasher on 2040-parts.com

Video: Michael Mauer on the 991-series Porsche 911

Porsche has released a video featuring its Design Director, Michael Mauer, explaining how he and his team went about redesigning the 911, an ‘automotive, engineering icon' as he describes it. "What we as designers are striving to above all is to optimize the width to height ratio with the result that although the 911's width has not increased, the front axle area has become wider, and we've managed to make the roof a bit lower," Mauer explains via a rather dramatic-sounding voiceover.

Brazilian students develop soapbox racers for Volkswagen

Brazilian design students have competed for year-long internships at Volkswagen's Brazilian design studio by designing – and racing – soapbox cars. Established 15 years ago by Volkswagen South America design director Luiz Veiga, the Volkswagen Design Talent Contest refreshed its format for 2013 by challenging students to develop a prototype for a gravity-powered soapbox racer instead of asking for sketch and render-based proposals. According to Veiga, Volkswagen was looking for someone "capable of working away from the desk and able to create design solutions, assess and build them".

Growing opposition to UK 50mph speed limit plan

UK Government plans to cut 60mph national speed limit to 50mph in 2010 By Peter Adams Motoring Issues 08 June 2009 14:21 Opposition to the UK Government’s plan to lower the national speed limit from 60 to 50mph is gathering momentum. Almost 34,000 people have now signed a petition on the Number 10 website urging the Government to ‘not reduce the national speed limit to 50mph.’  It’s become the second most popular petition on the site – ahead of similar bids to stop the Government raising university tuition fees and beaten only by one calling for Gordon Brown to resign as prime minister.Cutting the UK’s national speed limits from 60mph to 50mph: the backgroundBack in March 2009, plans were announced that the Government wanted to cut the national speed limit from 60mph to 50mph on single carriageways in rural areas. In urban areas, some 30mph limits could drop to 20mph.If steamrollered through, the sweeping change to Britain’s speed limits could be enforced from 2010.