Impact Racing Restraint - 3" L&l, Pd Both Lap, Ind Shldr, 5pt, Sfi 16.1 on 2040-parts.com

Kustom kar kings' Dean Jeffries dead at 80

UPDATED: Dean Jeffries, a contemporary of California's great kustom kar kings in the early 1950s, who would go on to fame making cars for TV and movies, died Sunday, May 5 at 80. Jeffries grew up in Lynwood, Calif., across the street from Indy racer Troy Ruttman and around the corner from Sam and George Barris' shop. He spent his days hanging around the greats: George Cerny, Von Dutch and Big Daddy Roth.

Mercedes-Benz hires BMW designer

Seems like the Mercedes-Benz design department is bulking up on new talent. Karim Habib, the exterior designer of the new BMW 7-series, has been lured to Mercedes-Benz where he will head up the advanced design studio on the outskirts of Stuttgart, Germany. Habib will work under Mercedes-Benz's new design boss, Gorden Wagener.

Concept Car of the Week: Mercedes F200 Imagination (1996)

The F200 Imagination was designed at Mercedes' Advanced Design studio in Tokyo, in response to the question 'does the car of the future still have a steering wheel and foot-operated controls?' Take a look at the car's interior and the answer was fairly emphatic, as the steering wheel and pedals were replaced by joysticks, called Sidesticks, that operated the throttle, brakes and steering by wire. There were two sticks to choose from, one on the left of the cabin and one in the center console. However, both had the same function – push forward to accelerate, left or right to turn, and back to brake – so either of the front passengers could control the car.