Ambient Air Temperature Sensor Standard Ax72 on 2040-parts.com

Entries open for Opel/Vauxhall Interactive Design Competition

Entries can now be submitted to the interactive design competition from  Opel/Vauxhall, in partnership with CDN, which asks students: "What do you think is our lounge style?"  Students are invited to upload their entries to the competition website www.cardesigncontest.com, where they can be viewed and commented upon by the design community as well as other students. CDN and Opel/Vauxhall is encouraging entrants to start uploading material from day one to increase their changes of getting useful feedback on their entries. The competition judges, as well as the design community and other students, will be looking at your research imagery and mood boards, sketches, renderings and video – whatever you feel best represents your vision.

College Exhibition: RCA/GM - Fast Forward 2049

First year students at the Royal College of Art recently held an exhibition at the London Transport Museum commemorating the 40th anniversary of the school's vehicle design course. Sponsored by GM's Opel/Vauxhall division, 19 students responded to a brief that called for them to ‘Fast Forward into the Future'. Divided into three groups - Inside Out, Urban Flow and Automark - the students devised their own notions of vehicles for the year 2049, and in some cases entirely reinvented Opel brand values and aesthetics.

Land Rover Defender Challenge by Bowler – the Defender goes rallying

The Land Rover Defender goes rallying (pictured) with Bowler modifications The venerable Land Rover Defender – now reaching the end of its shelf life – may not seem the perfect rally car. But a Defender tweaked and fettled with some Bowler Fairy Dust is another matter, and that’s exactly what’s happening with a new, one-make Defender Challenge by Bowler – and backed by Land Rover – which is aiming to put up to fifteen Defenders in to UK forest stage rallies and hill rallies in 2014. The Defender in question is a Defender 90 Hard Top with the usual 2.2 litre diesel, but sorted by Bowler to deliver 170bhp and 323lb/ft of torque (up from the regular 122bhp/266lb/ft) with a standard six-speed manual ‘box, MSA roll cage, fire extinguisher and Khumo tyres.