06 Nissan 350z Dr Handle, Exterior on 2040-parts.com

Audi recruits German and Mexican students to design A0 monocycle

Audi has teamed up with German and Mexican engineering and design students for a project that has resulted in the A0 electric monocycle. Resembling a seated Segway with a hubless wheel, information about this project follows hot on the heels of the Urban Concept, and suggests Audi following the lead of BMW in seriously looking at new ways of improving mobility in cities. The project, conducted by the Technical University of Munich and National Autonomous University of Mexico, was sponsored by the Audi Design Research Center Munich, and conducted under the supervision of Klemens Rossnagel, Head of Audi Design Research Center.

Toyotafest: Accelerating into history

When you think of automotive history, the names that come to mind are carmakers celebrating their centennials such as Alfa Romeo, Ford and Mercedes-Benz. But the younger carmakers deserve some historical props, too. Toyota has only been in existence 77 years and on sale in the United States for only 50, but it has a small and growing cadre of dedicated enthusiasts nonetheless.

Post-World War II Japanese tin toys on display in New York

During the rebuilding of Japan after World War II, a Japanese toy designer took a discarded tin can and molded it into an intricate model car. Just inches in length, it created a phenomenon in the 1940s and '50s in Japan called “buriki.” Buriki is derived from “blik,” which is Dutch for "tin toy." A collection of 70 tin-toy vehicles manufactured in Japan is currently on display at New York's Japan Society Gallery. The exhibit, called “Buriki: Japanese Tin Toys from the Golden Age of the American Automobile, The Yoku Tanaka Collection,” runs until Aug.