Close-out Sale Kirkey Aluminum Racing Seat Leg Support Cover Left Purple 00416 on 2040-parts.com

Formula 1 2012: The Cars [w/video]

Nine of the 12 Formula 1 teams have released images and details of their cars for the 2012 World Championship as the first day of pre-season testing draws to a close at the Jerez circuit in Spain. Motor sport may fall slightly outside of Car Design News' usual remit, but the big story this year is the new 'stepped nose', which all teams bar McLaren have introduced to comply with new safety regulations, much to the chagrin of aestheticists. And with designers such as Daniel Simon (he produced the livery for HRT last season) and Peter Stevens (most notable for the Brabham cars of the 1980s) involved with the sport over the years, it's always interesting to check out the season's new machines.

Motion Simulation TL1: Ariel builds an immersive simulator

Ariel Moto Company, makers of the mad-yet-minimalist Atom sportscar, have teamed up with new UK firm Motion Simulation to develop and manufacture the TL1 immersive motion simulator. Featuring a spherical immersive projection screen and adjustable driving position, the TL1's composite pod allows vicarious thrill-seekers to try piloting anything from an F1 car to a combat aircraft with a greater degree of realism than existing simulator chairs. In the video above, the TL1 is configured as as Touring Car racer.

2013 Skoda Octavia Estate revealed

Ahead of a debut at the 2013 Geneva Motor Show, Skoda has revealed the estate version of the new Octavia with a pair of photos. The 2013 Skoda Octavia Estate takes the already capacious Octavia hatch to a new level, with a boot that will swallow 610 litres of stuff with the seats up and an impressive 1,740 litres with the seats down, a significant chunk more than the competition can offer. The extra capacity comes courtesy of extra length compared to the Octavia hatch, with the estate growing by 110mm in the wheelbase – with an extra 73mm for rear passengers’ legroom – and 90mm longer overall.