Concept Car of the Week: BMW Turbo (1972)

Built by Michelotti in Turin and unveiled at the 1972 Paris motor show, the BMW Turbo was built both as a symbol of the carmaker's strength after its troubles in the ‘60s and as a celebration of that summer's Olympic Games in Munich. This two-door coupe, based on a modified 2002 chassis with a mid-mounted engine, was born when BMW's design director Paul Bracq convinced the board to let him design a concept that would be part design exercise, part technology testbed. Safety had become an increasingly important consideration following a number of design summits in the early ‘70s, and Bracq used the Turbo to test out a number of safety solutions.

Porsche Macan makes UK debut in Harrods

The Porsche Macan has made its London and UK debut – in the window display of the world-famous Harrods department store. The new compact SUV will be on display in Harrods’ window until 5 February 2014, before formally arriving in UK Porsche dealerships two months later. On Bing: see pictures of the Porsche MacanPorsche Macan: 21 things we’ve learned Porsche says it chose Harrods not just because of the "cosmopolitan clientele" that frequent the Knightsbridge store, but also because the area is well known among enthusiasts hoping to spot some tasty supercars.

Michelin Challenge Design 2009 preview

Michelin is continuing to profile the work of some of the leading contenders for its annual Michelin Challenge Design competition, which asks the design community to come up with proposals for "America's Next Iconic Vehicle". All 11 of the scale models and 24 two-dimensional drawings in the running will be exhibited at the 2009 NAIAS in January. Earlier this month, we featured three of these scale models following their selection by a jury of top automotive designers.