Volvo V70 S70 850 Cupholder Cup Holder 1999 2000 2001 on 2040-parts.com

Spada, The long story of a long tail is Waft's latest book

Spada, The long story of a short tail is the new book from Waft publishing. As the title suggests, this latest project from the creators of Masters of Modern Car Design charts the remarkably prolific career of Italian car designer Ercole Spada. From the legendary Zagato-era Aston Martin DB4 and Alfa Romeo TZ1 that established his trademark cropped tail, to the 2008 Codatronca supercar that bore his name, via the 1980s BMW 5 and 7 Series, this 304-page hardback covers them all in fine detail.

At GM, the tail fin is back--but now it's a blade

Tail fins are making a comeback at General Motors Co., although they are a far cry from the saillike appendages of the 1950s. And this time the company is calling them blades. The look, pioneered on the Chevrolet Volt to improve aerodynamics, will appear on other models to boost fuel economy, said Ed Welburn, GM's global design chief.

BMW i3 revealed: The BMW Megacity lives

BMW i3 Revealed - on sale in 2013 The BMW i8 – also revealed today –  may be BMW’s answer to a supercar with a conscience for the 21st century, but the other end of the scale is the BMW solution to city mobility – the BMW i3. Known as the Megacity Vehicle – at least until BMW gave us all the detail of the i3 and i8 a few months ago – the BMW i3 is an upright box with a choice of pure electric or range-extender powertrains and is – in size – somewhere between the MINI and the current 1-Series. Just like the i8, the BMW i3 has a predominantly aluminium chassis and a body made of CFRP so it’s reasonably light for an EV (1270kg) and should be nimble thanks to its low centre of gravity which, just like the i8, is due to its batteries and the other heavy stuff sitting low down.