Vista Pro Automotive 433850 Radiator on 2040-parts.com

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.

Driven: Ford Flex

When Ford unveiled the Fairlane concept in 2005, the company attempted to "rewrite the people mover story", according to Group Vice President of Design and Chief Creative Officer, J Mays. The Minivan, once the symbol of suburban America, had fallen out of favor - its dowdy, "soccer mom" image eschewed in exchange for upscale, aggressive SUVs. According to Mays, the idea with the Fairlane was to "move people emotionally as well as physically", something few minivans had done before.

Webinars: Realism & Product Correctness in Realtime from RTT

The quality of 3D visualization has improved markedly in recent years as a result of new algorithms – allowing design decisions to be made on the basis of virtual models. Products, including the interior and exterior design of a vehicle, can now be portrayed very realistically using high-end visualization software. This webinar, entitled 'Realism & Product Correctness in Realtime', demonstrates how product lifecycles in the automotive industry – which range from design, development and production through to marketing and sales – is becoming increasingly digital.