Yamaha Xlt1200 1999 2000 Gauge on 2040-parts.com

Peter Mullin makes extravagant donation to Art Center College of Design

Peter Mullin, the purveyor of the Art Deco-inspired Mullin Museum in Oxnard, California, knows a thing or two about good design, and about nurturing good design. His contributions to Art Center have included the Peter W. Mullin Endowed Scholarship, which since 2005 has provided worthy students with financial aid.

GM delays second shift at Volt plant

General Motors is delaying the addition of a second shift at its Michigan assembly plant that makes the Chevrolet Volt. In May, GM said that it would add a second shift at its Detroit-Hamtramck plant by late this fall to double Volt production. Instead, a plant overhaul completed this summer, along with a more-modest addition of workers, will allow GM to double production starting early next year while remaining on one shift, the company said Friday.

Aston Martin DB9 4WD Plug-in Hybrid revealed by Bosch (video)

Bosch has built a plug-in hybrid Aston Martin DB9 We’ve always believed one of the best uses for hybrid powertrains is to provide extra performance on high-end cars, something Bosh has demonstrated by fitting the Aston Martin DB9 with a hybrid setup. The hybrid DB9 hasn’t been built to preview a production hybrid DB9 (although it probably should) but to demonstrate what Bosch can do with an existing car. Aston Martin donated the DB9 to Bosch for the hybrid project, and Bosh has fitted the DB9 with three electric motors – one at each front wheel and one next to the Aston’s V12 – which gives the DB9 something in the region of an extra 250bhp to play with.