49 Ford Vent Window Weatherstripping (right Rear Opening Vent) on 2040-parts.com

Win a new Jag XJ – update with Piers Morgan

Piers Morgan is encouraging us to buy tickets to win the first new XJ off the production line. A couple of weeks ago we reported that Jaguar are running a competition to win the very first new XJ to come of the production line. It may be true that the competition will give Jaguar a bit of publicity for the new XJ, but it’s also true that the real beneficiaries of the competition will be the NSPCC.

Watch the sad, final moments of a crusher-bound heap

Automotive wrecking yards are good places to reflect on the real-world values of heavily depreciated vehicles versus global current scrap-metal prices, and to see which cars have suddenly had the fix-it-versus-total-it line moved by insurance companies (the early-21st-century Subaru Legacy Outback, for example, appeared in large numbers in high-turnover wrecking yards just during the last year, as fairly minor collision damage on these cars is no longer worth fixing). You'll see the things that a car's last owner does in a desperate attempt to sell (or at least live with) an increasingly decrepit heap (as we learned in "Repo Man," you really will find a Little Tree in every car). During a recent trip to a San Jose, Calif., yard, I encountered this sad yet strangely compelling scene.

Italdesign Giugiaro releases ‘Timeline’ app

Italdesign Giugiaro has released a new app called the "Giugiaro Timeline", spanning the company's illustrious design history. Available for the iPhone 3G, the iPhone 4 and the iPod Touch (sorry Android and Blackberry users) the app enables design enthusiasts to check out some of the products the company has been responsible for since its inception in 1968 (the year the Bizzarrini Manta made its debut at the Turin motor show). Implemented by the Italian web agency Easybit, the Giugiaro Timeline for the iPhone and the iPod Touch offers the same features as the iPad version.