Mercury Optimax 831209 on 2040-parts.com

Aston Martin Cygnet. It’s a real Aston Martin. Honest.

The Aston Martin Cygnet – the ‘Vision’ video below Let’s get this out of the way, just in case you don’t read here very often and don’t know. We’re big Aston Martin fans. We think that Aston Martin produce works of art that just happen to be hugely enjoyable to drive (with a few caveats – but that’s for another time).

CCS- American Iron and Steel Institute Challenge 2005

Transportation Design students from the College for Creative Studies in Detroit recently presented projects done in conjunction with the American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI). Three students were selected from the college to complete an internship: Chris Piscitelli, Sylvian Bryan and Sang Hoon Shin. They took on the challenge to design a 'functional, innovative and extreme-inspired vehicle that integrates environmental responsibility, cost efficiency and advanced steel materials.' Aside from the peripheral criteria, it is the 'extreme' theme that sticks, the brief satisfyingly encouraging students to really provoke with their imaginations.With the Challenge now in its 17th year, AISI puts its considerable resources to good use, Piscitelli, Bryan and Shin each receiving much support during their internship program, which includes producing scale models of their designs.

Video shows Audi R18 'long tail' e-tron quattro's blistering Monza run

Audi has had a pretty solid run at the 24 Hours of Le Mans over the past decade, but we're glad they keep pushing the envelope. That's how they keep devising road-going spaceships like the staggeringly fast R18 e-tron quatto equipped with a “long tail” aerodynamic package. This quick video of the “long tail” hybrid testing at Monza gives us a preview of what we can expect at Spa next month -- and hints at what we'll see at Le Mans in June.