Brite Touch Bt26 Brite Touch Engine Paint on 2040-parts.com

Future products: Kia seeks lively, upscale look

Kia's redesigned Optima sedan and the Cadenza replacement for the Amanti, both due next year, reflect an emphasis on creating a livelier and more upscale look for the once-bland brand. Indeed, styling has been a crucial element of Kia's new-product push in the past 18 months. The team at Kia Design Center America near Los Angeles--part of the automaker's global design network led by onetime Audi design chief Peter Schreyer--has helped set the new styling direction.

Automotive art returns to Pebble Beach

Classic cars won’t be the only works of art on display at this year’s Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance. The Automotive Fine Arts Society (AFAS) will be making its 26th appearance at the event, where it will exhibit car-themed paintings and sculptures. “The artists work every year to showcase art never shown before,” AFAS vice president Bill Motta said.

Mercedes Benz CLK-GTR – the Unique RHD versions

The unique RHD Mercedes Benz CLK-GTR The CLK-GTR is a by-product of Mercedes’ involvement in the FIA GT1 class in the late ’90s. A condition of entry for cars was that road-going versions had to be made, so Mercedes (along with Porsche, who built the even rarer Porsche 911 GT1 to compete in the series) bit the bullet and produced a very limited run of the GTR. Despite a passing resemblance to a CLK, the only parts that were actually CLK were the grill and the dash housing.