AutoDesign Prague 2013: Design from the Heart of Europe

Charismatic designers, inspirational speeches and beautiful cars in an informal and friendly atmosphere was the order of the day at the third edition of the international automotive design conference AutoDesign Prague, which once again highlighted the importance of car culture and tradition's strong roots within the Czech Republic. In recent years, speakers have included prominent figures from the world of automotive design such as the Geely Group's Peter Horbury, Dassault Systèmes' Anne Asensio, Pininfarina's Fabio Filippini and design consultant Peter Stevens. This year's conference was themed ‘Design from the Heart of Europe' and so featured many Czech and Slovakian speakers.

Ferrari 250 GTO #3851 GT disappoints at $38 million

The Ferrari 250 GTO #3851 GT makes ‘just’ $38 million Last month, we reported that a Ferrari 250 GTO was due to hit the auction room at Bonhams Quail Lodge sale and was expected to hit a massive record price, with estimates ranging from $60-100 million. On that basis, the sale was a complete failure. In fact, the 250 GTO – previously owned by Fabrizio Violati – managed to reach a relatively paltry $38.1 million (£22.8 million), with the actual price (before buyers premium) ‘just’ $34.6 million (£20.7 million).

Bungling thief caught after stealing hire car's steering wheel

A DIM-WITTED criminal has been convicted of theft after stealing parts of a brand new Audi A3 hire car and replacing them with old bits taken from his much older Audi S3. Alexander Keating, a 23-year-old former bodyshop technician who lost his job following the conviction, stole parts as obvious as the steering wheel and gear knob from the A3 that his mum had hired after damaging her car in an accident. Keating foolishly believed no one would notice the battered old steering wheel on the otherwise shiny, new car, but sure enough the mismatched parts were spotted and the hapless bungler was caught by the car hire firm’s bespoke anti-fraud team Asset Protection Unit (APU).