Studebaker Dip Stick, 21 Inch; Price Each One. Item: 2392 on 2040-parts.com

Jaguar X-Type axed early

Jaguar is ending production of the Jaguar X-Type at the end of the year The X-Type recipe was a Ford inspired one. Take the basics of the Ford Mondeo – a much better car than it’s given credit for – and Jaguar-ify it to produce a smaller car to fit in to the Audi A4 / BMW 3 Series / Mercedes C-Class category. But it got saddled with the looks of the old Jaguar XJ (i.e.

MIT develops self-transforming materials that behave 'like robots without robots'

A cross-disciplinary research lab at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) has developed a suite of programmable materials, including carbon fiber, printed wood grain, textile composites, rubbers and plastics, that self-transform when exposed to an external stimulus. Director of the Self-Assembly Lab, Skylar Tibbits, presented a TED talk on 4D printing in 2013, where he demonstrated how a flat sheet of material could effectively build itself when exposed to water, like a robot without a robot. Following positive feedback from industries including aviation, automotive and manufacturing, his lab has been working on developing materials that change according to different activation sources, including heat, light, and air pressure, in addition to water – all of which have automotive relevance.

Iconic Saab 900 convertible turns 25

In happier Saab news, the iconic Saab 900 convertible is a quarter of a century old this year, having made its U.S. debut in 1986. The 900 convertible played a key role in expanding the drop-top segment from a tiny niche in the market 25 years ago to its current .