Concept Car of the Week: Ford Forty-Nine (2001)

Over 1.3 million orders were placed for the 1949 Ford before it even went officially on sale. The revolutionary post-war design with slick slab sides and semi-covered wheels became a symbol of American optimism. "The inspiration for the Forty-Nine concept comes from the passion and excitement of the original, combined with the imagination of people across America who customized the car and turned it into what they thought a really great car should be," said J Mays, Ford's vice president of Design at the unveiling of the retro-futurist coupe back in 2001.

One Lap of the Web: Cool cufflinks in your Crown Coupe

-- Want to be the coolest person at your next event "celebrating lifestyle and automotive achievement that will embody the realization of automotive aspiration"? (Note: this was part of a real invitation we received.) You can do no better than buying these cufflinks made from a Cosworth-powered Jaguar F1 car. The bolts were "used to retain the crank within the engine block," says Ledon Gifts in their Etsy store.

Renault Laguna (2007): first official pictures

By Tim Pollard First Official Pictures 04 June 2007 12:06 New Renault Laguna: the lowdown Renault's big-selling Laguna will be replaced in the autumn autumn with this distinctive new family car. Okay, so it's not the most radical car Renault has ever produced, but it does usher in some interesting developments from La Régie, as it chases down the new Ford Mondeo and forthcoming Vauxhall Vectra. For starters, the Laguna is the latest car to be lighter than the model it replaces; despite being longer, wider and taller, it's an average 15kg skinnier across the range, which should boost performance, economy and emissions.