Paughco H42z12c Handlebar Z 1.25x12 W/l C on 2040-parts.com

The Future Role of the Vehicle Designer

The vehicle design department at the Royal College of Art hosted the second in a series of five lectures looking at the future of the profession last week. Moving on from the previous week's topic of sustainability, this debate explored the future roles and responsibilities of the vehicle designer. Head of department Dale Harrow began by posing the question "Is it time to rethink – do we still need the car?" Although still relevant, Harrow's ultimate answer to this was that the profession was about to see marked change, with the end to an era where "designers are locked behind closed doors in studios".

One-on-one with Ron Dennis, McLaren's boss

Here are a few stats to wrap your brain around: Since 1966, the year McLaren got into Formula One, 100 Grand Prix teams have come and gone--100! Only Ferrari and McLaren remain. McLaren has won 25 percent of the F1 races it has entered and has been on the podium a whopping 53 percent of the time.

Polestar boosts Volvo power with factory software upgrade

Volvo and its performance arm Polestar have developed tuning software for C30, C70 and S40 cars fitted with the T5 turbocharged engine. It increases power by 23 hp and torque by 29 lb-ft by revising valve and spark timing. The software is compatible with 2008-model-year and newer cars and goes on sale on Nov.