89 Honda Accord Strut Rear Sei on 2040-parts.com

Who's Where: Camilo Pardo leaves Ford

Camilo Pardo has ended his 24 year long career at Ford to pursue his numerous other creative endeavors. CDN caught up with the accomplished artist, sculptor, clothing and furniture designer at his annual Designer's Night bash in Detroit, where he told us how he was now "free to do anything", but would not divulge details as the announcement was not yet official. A native New Yorker, Pardo graduated from the Center for Creative Studies in Detroit and was granted the Industrial Design Society of America Merit Award in 1985.

McLaren MP4-12C to charge hill at Goodwood with Button and Hamilton at the wheel

The McLaren MP4-12C will make its much-anticipated public debut at Goodwood, and yet another advanced prototype will charge up the famous hill in the supercar portion of the event--driven by none other than McLaren Formula One stars Jenson Button and Lewis Hamilton. They'll be piloting the VP9 validation prototype finished in traditional McLaren orange. In addition to the hill charge, a new prototype will be on display with all of the carbon-fiber fittings, including splitter, engine covers and seatbacks.

Center stack is new high-stakes battleground; showdown with safety regulators looms

For auto suppliers and gadget companies eager to get a piece of the auto industry, the hottest chunk of vehicle real estate now is the center stack. That corridor of interior space, running from the driver's right hip up through the center of the cockpit to the bottom of the windshield, has become a California gold rush of opportunity. But it is less so for traditional suppliers of molded plastics, cables, levers, buttons and radios.