RCA students redesign classic cars for Salon Privé

Eleven postgraduates from the Royal College of Art's Vehicle Design program have redesigned and modernized past Concours-winning cars for the ‘Concours of the Future' design exhibition at this year's Salon Privé in London. Concours of the Future, a first for the Salon Privé, will be showcased on 4 July before being judged the next day by a panel chaired by automotive designer and RCA visiting professor Peter Stevens. The judging panel is made up of Dale Harrow, head of the RCA Vehicle Design program and some of the biggest names in car design: Giles Taylor, director of design at Rolls-Royce; Peter Schreyer, chief design officer at Hyundai and Kia and Peter Horbury, vice president – design at Geely.

MyFord Touch revealed at Consumer Electronics show

Ford is using the concept behind its Sync technology to dramatically re-do the appearance of its instrument panels and the manner in which drivers interact with their cars. Ford is revealing MyFord Touch at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, and the technology launches on the 2011 Ford Edge followed by global availability on the 2012 Focus. MyLincoln Touch will be standard on new Lincolns, starting with 2011 MKX.

German Parts Pillagers Roam the American Southwest, Sending Treasures Home For Future Car Museum

Quite a few older European cars are purchased in rust-free parts of the United States and then shipped back to the home continent, and this process tends to intensify when the Euro gets stronger versus the dollar. While that's going on, crews of European gearheads also roam the wrecking yards of the Southwest, filling shipping containers with parts to ship back home; I know of a trio of Swedes who come to Colorado every year and ship home tons of parts, but they've got nothing on this pair of Germans. These gentlemen fly to the United States four times each year, spending two or three weeks each trip, and send home cars and shipping containers packed with parts, all as part of a scheme to open up a car collection showcasing "cars from the road." They were kind enough to send me a bunch of photos of their most recent trip, so let's see what their enviable lifestyle looks like.