Vibrant Performance Concentric Reducer 2632 on 2040-parts.com

Schools Award and CDN Design Schools League Table

Schools as well as students are being recognized in this year's CDN-Interior Motives Student Design Awards, just launched, with a special award being introduced for the school whose students have the most success in the competition. CDN acknowledges that great teaching, as well as raw student talent, is needed to shape the work of the next generation of car designers. So along with the student finalists in 2012 will come finalist schools, as measured by the success of their students in getting to the shortlist stage of the competition, in becoming category finalists, or in winning an award or becoming overall winner.

Pontiac SD-290

According to GM, the Pontiac SD-290 concept is "Designed to evoke the emotions of classic sports cars". Introduced at SEMA, the vehicle is derived from a Pontiac Solstice but has been transformed into a pure single-seat race car with its passenger compartment made obsolete by a hard tonneau cover. Despite its competition red paint scheme, it is difficult not to relate the SD-290 to the timeless shape of a D-Type Jaguar. We can also see the influence of BMW's 2004 H2R land speed record breaking concept in the SD-290's asymmetrical layout, with its racing cockpit protected only by a small windscreen in front of the driver and a faired headrest and roll-bar behind the seat.

One Lap of the Web: Saucy spouses and salty roads

-- Not every race car driver was James Hunt. Legendary drag racer Don Garlits couldn't have been legendary without his wife Patricia, who recently passed at the age of 71; in a few more weeks, they would have celebrated their 61st wedding anniversary. She supported Don when he didn't think his racing would amount to anything, and she was instrumental in persuading Don to switch to rear-engined dragsters -- Don's eventual acceptance ended up changing the face of drag racing forever.