1962 Cutlass Pair Of Passenger Right Headlights W/bracket on 2040-parts.com

Are BMW really trying to buy De Tomaso?

Reports from Italy say that BMW is in talks to buy De Tomaso, the perpetually failed maker of supercars. It’s long been rumoured that BMW has an interest in acquiring De Tomaso to give it a proper supercar brand to rival the offerings from the VW group. But, despite many opportunities to do so, BMW has never made the move.

BMW works hard to avoid gas-guzzler tax

BMW AG hopes to get out from under the gas-guzzler taxes that are tacked on to the sticker prices of some of its high-performance models in the United States. Jim O'Donnell, president of BMW of North America, says the company is studying fuel-efficiency improvements that could eliminate the gas-guzzler taxes on its vehicles as early as the launch of their redesigns in the next few years. The 2010 550i GT incurs a $1,000 gas-guzzler fee, for example.

AutoWeek Design Forum: McLaren evolves with carbon fiber

McLaren Automotive design boss Frank Stephenson detailed his company's transformation from strictly racing to producing road-going models on Thursday at the AutoWeek Design Forum. McLaren is launching the highly anticipated MP4-12C this year, and the company has been hard at work refining the use of carbon fiber, which it pioneered in the iconic McLaren F1. The company cut the amount of time required to design a carbon-fiber tub from 3,000 hours for the F1 to a mere four hours for the MP4-12C.