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After an almost 50-year career, automotive designer Peter Horbury died suddenly while traveling in China. Most recently, Horbury was executive vice president of design for Group Lotus.Horbury worked at or for multiple automakers, including Ford, Chrysler, and smaller brands including Bentley and Rolls-Royce. He also worked on motorcycles and the updated London Taxi.Horbury is best remembered for shifting Volvo’s classic angular design language to something sleeker and luxurious today.Peter Horbury, the automotive designer best known for leading the transition from boxy to curvy during his decades at Volvo and, most recently, as the executive vice president of design at Lotus, has died. He was 73.VolvoA cause of death has not been announced, but it appears to have been unexpected. According to a statement from Lotus, Horbury passed away “while visiting colleagues in China, doing what he has always done—leading, inspiring and mentoring others to challenge conventions and be the best that they can be.”What he has always done also includes designing an incredible variety of vehicles—cars, bikes, buses, vans and London Taxis, according to a deep tribute over at Car Design News —for an incredible variety of companies: Volvo, Ford, Chrysler, Geely, Lotus, Bentley, Triumph, Rolls-Royce, and more. Horbury started in the industry after graduating from the Royal College of Art in London in 1974. His oversize impact at Volvo kicked off in 1991 when he became the automaker’s head of design. He famously led the company away from the boxy designs of the 1970s and 1980s, starting with the ECC concept car in 1992 and on to the S80 production model and then the XC90. In 2002, Horbury became the head of design in Ford’s Premier Automotive Group, which included Aston Martin, Jaguar, Land Rover, and Volvo. 1998 Volvo C70.Car and DriverHorbury went back to Volvo in 2009 to become vice president of design. When Ford sold Volvo to Geely in 2010, Horbury became Geely’s senior vice president of design. While there, he worked on multiple Geely brands, including Lynk & Co, Proton, and Lotus. One of the last vehicles Horbury worked on to have a reveal was the Lotus Eletre electric SUV last fall.Lotus Eletre.LotusHorbury’s peers in the automotive industry have been posting their condolences. Andy Palmer, the former CEO of Aston Martin, called Horbury an “extraordinary talent.” Ford CEO Jim Farley said Horbury’s passing deeply saddened him and that Horbury used “the power of design to transform and modernize Volvo globally.” Lotus’s official announcement noted that the charismatic Horbury spent nearly half a century designing “some of the world’s most significant and pioneering cars.”This content is imported from twitter. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site.I am deeply saddened by the passing of Peter Horbury. Our heart and condolences go out to his family. Peter was a remarkable design leader, perhaps best known for using the power of design to transform & modernize Volvo globally. He was an incredible advocate for Lincoln & Ford… pic.twitter.com/fqWG6iT83L— Jim Farley (@jimfarley98) July 1, 2023Beyond the adulations for a design legacy that “can be found on roads across the world today, enjoyed by millions of drivers,” as Lotus CEO Feng Qingfeng put it in a statement, social media and personal tributes speak about the many ways Horbury enjoyed life. It is clear he will be missed by many around the world.Contributing EditorSebastian Blanco has been writing about electric vehicles, hybrids, and hydrogen cars since 2006. His articles and car reviews have appeared in the New York Times, Automotive News, Reuters, SAE, Autoblog, InsideEVs, Trucks.com, Car Talk, and other outlets. His first green-car media event was the launch of the Tesla Roadster, and since then he has been tracking the shift away from gasoline-powered vehicles and discovering the new technology’s importance not just for the auto industry, but for the world as a whole. Throw in the recent shift to autonomous vehicles, and there are more interesting changes happening now than most people can wrap their heads around. You can find him on Twitter or, on good days, behind the wheel of a new EV.  More

A new Lego Corvette model kit, based on the 1961 model year version, will be available later this summer.This is the fourth official Corvette Lego has released and the largest such model ever.With more than 1200 pieces, the 1961 Lego Corvette arrives August 1 with a $150 price tag.You can get a real Chevrolet Corvette from the late 1950s or early 1960s on Bring a Trailer for around $100,000, give or take $40,000, depending on the condition. If you don’t mind a smaller size and parts made out of plastic, a new Lego model celebrating the 1961 version is coming later this summer for a more modest $150.LEGO Of course, $150 for a toy isn’t exactly pocket change, but this set has been designed for adults. Plus, at least Lego has added features to the new 1210-piece kit to make you feel like you’re getting your money’s worth. The most noticeable bit is the swappable hard or open top for this little cabriolet sports car that stands four inches high, 12.5 inches long, and 5.5 inches wide. It’s just the right size and complexity for anyone who enjoys Legos but doesn’t want to take three weeks to put together a complicated Technics machine.Brick Lore That doesn’t mean there aren’t clever touches here. The hood and truck open, and there’s a spinning radiator fan and a working tie-rod steering set-up in the engine bay. The cabin features three pedals, a gear shifter and a steering wheel that turns the wheels. The kit has three license plate stickers, including one with a Corvette logo and one each with Michigan and California identifications. Corvette fans should appreciate the transitional ducktail design and the four iconic taillights.LEGO Part of the Lego Icons series, this set (#10321) is the fourth official Lego model with a Corvette, and it arrives just in time to mark the 70th anniversary of the Corvette’s debut in 1953.The first, featuring a tiny Z06 made from 168 pieces, came out in a Speed Champions set in 2016. The second was a 600-piece Technic set featuring the ZR1 in 2019. In 2021, Lego released another 500-piece Speed Champions set, but this time it was a twofer with models of a C8.R race car and a 1968 Corvette in the box. All three of these older sets are available, used, on the fan-to-fan Lego marketplace called Bricklink for around $20 to $30.LEGOIf you don’t want your new Corvette to look lonely, Lego also offers two other classic GM vehicles in its current lineup of sets. There’s a Chevrolet Camaro Z28 (around 1500 pieces for $170) and a NASCAR Camaro ZL1 made from almost 700 pieces and a $50 price tag.This content is imported from poll. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site.Contributing EditorSebastian Blanco has been writing about electric vehicles, hybrids, and hydrogen cars since 2006. His articles and car reviews have appeared in the New York Times, Automotive News, Reuters, SAE, Autoblog, InsideEVs, Trucks.com, Car Talk, and other outlets. His first green-car media event was the launch of the Tesla Roadster, and since then he has been tracking the shift away from gasoline-powered vehicles and discovering the new technology’s importance not just for the auto industry, but for the world as a whole. Throw in the recent shift to autonomous vehicles, and there are more interesting changes happening now than most people can wrap their heads around. You can find him on Twitter or, on good days, behind the wheel of a new EV.  More

This first-gen Audi TT has arguably the purest execution of the model’s Bauhaus design.Although based on VW Golf underpinnings, the top-spec version featured a turbocharged 225-hp engine, all-wheel drive, and an available six-speed manual transmission, all present here.This example also boasts ultra-low mileage with the odometer showing just 15K miles. The auction ends on Thursday, July 6.Car and DriverLaunched in the fall of 1998, the Audi TT is now a quarter-century old, which naturally begs the question: Is this a potential future classic? Underpinned by the same platform as the fourth-generation VW Golf, the TT was practical, quick, capable, and oh, so pretty. This ultra-low-mileage example of the first-gen TT Roadster, complete with a manual transmission and those standout baseball-stitch seats, is up for auction on Bring a Trailer, which like Car and Driver is part of Hearst Autos.Related StoriesThe TT takes its name from motorcycle racing on the Isle of Man. NSU was a car and motorcycle manufacturer that was absorbed by Auto Union in 1969 to form the modern embodiment of Audi, and it was quite successful in motorcycle racing on the Snaefell circuit. Further, the NSU TT was a small, highly tuned rear-engined coupe that may be thought of as analogous to any number of Fiat Abarth specials.In the mid-1990s, Audi was looking to infuse its lineup with more emotional appeal. The A4 and A6 had established themselves as credible rivals to BMW’s 3- and 5-series and the Mercedes-Benz C- and E-class. But Audi needed a sports car.Bring a TrailerEnter the TT, first sketched out as a coupe concept in 1995. Production began in 1998, with the roadster joining the lineup a year later. A year after that, a more potent 225-hp version of the turbocharged 1.8-liter four-cylinder engine went on sale, and the TT made Car and Driver’s 10Best list.”We predict this wonderfully glamorous Audi will eventually join the Cisitalia and Jaguar E-type in the Museum of Modern Art. For now, we simply grin every time we see one,” we wrote.Bring a TrailerThis example is the more potent 225-hp variant, with Quattro all-wheel-drive and the six-speed manual transmission. Finished in black over Amber Red upholstery, it also has the must-have baseball-stitch leather, like you’re sitting in Paul Bunyan’s game-day mitt. With just 15,000 miles on the odometer and a clean California history, it’s a gorgeous piece of modern Bauhaus design.Just as it did on its debut, today the TT marks a high point for Audi enthusiasts. And, sadly, also a bookend. The current TT is leaving the market as Audi pivots to electrification. There may be an all-electric successor to the R8, but there appear to be plans for the TT to go EV.Bring a TrailerWhich is a shame. The TT was Audi’s Everyman sports car—interesting, beautiful, and within reach. A box-fresh vintage version like this example still has those qualities. This auction ends July 6.Contributing EditorBrendan McAleer is a freelance writer and photographer based in North Vancouver, B.C., Canada. He grew up splitting his knuckles on British automobiles, came of age in the golden era of Japanese sport-compact performance, and began writing about cars and people in 2008. His particular interest is the intersection between humanity and machinery, whether it is the racing career of Walter Cronkite or Japanese animator Hayao Miyazaki’s half-century obsession with the Citroën 2CV. He has taught both of his young daughters how to shift a manual transmission and is grateful for the excuse they provide to be perpetually buying Hot Wheels. More