Held Short Race Gloves on 2040-parts.com

Mazda marks end of RX-8 production with Spirit R edition in Japan

Mazda will close out the RX-8 sports car's run in Japan with a Spirit R edition, the same way it brought the curtain down on the RX-7 in 2002. But the RX-8 Spirit R won't make it to U.S. showrooms.

Car Design News Contest

As one judge, Geert Jan Schellekens, Principal Automotive and Industrial Designer at SABIC Innovative Plastics, said; "From several hundred entries to 20 finalists in a day's time - what could have turned out to be a cumbersome process, if not a bureaucratic nightmare, actually became an intensive yet fun session with many intriguing and interesting interpretations of the contest brief - fuelling some lively discussions!" Another strong impression from judges was also of the variety of design entry and the effort that had been put into them, as Dale Harrow said: "I'm very impressed with the standard, and particularly with the diversity of entries to the contest". Derek Buckmaster,Global Market Director, Body Panels & Glazing for SABIC Innovative Plastics, said: "I was surprised by the depth of thought which the entrants had put into their designs to meet the diverse needs of the three 'milenniumites' described in the design brief. The designs displayed numerous approaches to meeting the environmentally-friendly and light-weight goals." All designs were considered relative to the Assessment Criteria a critically important part of the contest, created to ensure as much fairness in the process as possible and detailed in the Contest part of Car Design News.

IFR Aspid strikes Spanish gold

By Tom Richards Motor Industry 08 August 2008 13:32 More than 100 potential IFR Aspid customers have signed up for a two-day test drive following the new two-seater sports car's unveiling at the London motor show last month. Now the Spanish manufacturer is seeking to create an international dealer network.The Aspid has been in secret development for five years, with IFR working hard on making it relevant to the needs to the 21st century. Although there are no definite CO2 figures, a kerbweight of 700kg means the Aspid should be capable 56.4mpg, they say. The chassis and suspension are aluminium, while the bodywork is carbonfibre and the brakes are made from stainless steel. Definitely.