On August 21, the third invocation of the Rental Car Rally will be rolling from NYC to Detroit. The brainchild of  StreetWars‘ “Supreme Commander” and Steve Bryant of Wiimbledon, the rally is more Mermaid Parade than NASCAR–check out our post and some photos from their San Francisco to Yuma expedition.
There is no set route, but each team must hit pre-defined checkpoints, which include an abandoned ghost town in Pennsylvania with a mine fire burning beneath the streets and a drive thru strip club. The motley crew will then spend the night partying in a downtown Detroit hotel casino before [...]

In the 1970s, Mercedes-Benz unveiled a range of experimental vehicles to research the future of safety system at the newly organized Enhanced Safety Vehicles conference.  Those safety research cars gave rise to modern innovations we take for granted like airbags and anti-lock brakes.  Now, Mercedes-Benz is bringing back the Experimental Safety Vehicle, hoping to once again push the boundaries of automotive safety technology.
The new ESV is a S400 Hybrid Sedan with 13 distinctly new safety features crammed in.  Some additions are relatively minor, like the Child Cam, which prevents driver distractions (and sibling tattling) by sending still images of the [...]

There are a number of fashion blogs such as the Sartorialist and Street Peeper that have risen to prominence over the past couple of years. These sites typically feature photos of ordinary people who are doing something special with their personal style. Photos are often submitted by a wide variety of contributors, and the sites are usually localized.
We recently came across a new iteration of this type of site – Manonthemove (MOTM). MOTM has chosen New York City as its backdrop, and rather than feature fashion, it features cars. Unlike typical car spotting, which often takes [...]

Today Zipcar unveiled their latest venture: FastFleet, a new service that employs Zipcar’s carsharing system for public sector vehicle fleets. Instead of letting their cars sit idle, public agencies can use FastFleet’s network and system for car pick up and drop off, so a smaller number of vehicles can be used as and when needed, across employees. Unlike Zipcar, FastFleet doesn’t provide any cars – just the infrastructure (and accompanying technology) for carsharing across the network. Washington DC was the first city to try out the system, and in its four month pilot, has saved a reported $300,000 through smarter [...]

Formula 1, after having gone through a decade of profligate spending, a general lack of eco-consciousness, and manufacturer domination, is currently experiencing a small renaissance.  The introduction of eco-innovation, various cost control measures, and the early season dominance of a “privateer” team, has set the tone for a season that is set to be one of the most exciting to date.
The global recession has hit F1 quite hard with ING, RBS, and Honda all withdrawing from the sport, albeit in various capacities and on various schedules.  The harsh economic realities have enabled the FIA (Formula One governing body) to push [...]

According to Autoblog, the state of California is proposing legislation to reduce carbon emissions by banning black cars. The California Air Resources Board’s rational is that dark colored cars absorb more light, which results in the owner using their climate control systems more. This theory sounds far-fetched, but existing building legislation with a similar ban has proven successful at reducing energy consumption in skyscrapers. Under the proposition for cars, windshields, backlights and sunroofs will be required to receive new reflective coatings by 2012. Companies that make auto paint are currently attempting to create a paint that conforms to the proposed [...]

Here are PSFK’s top five articles from Mar. 23 – Mar. 29, 2009.  Results are based on Google Analytics and in order of overall page views.
Stella McCartney Boot-Tights – Orli Sharaby
Nokia Almighty Headsets – Piers Fawkes
Swedish Magazine is Published as a Tattoo – Dan Gould
IKEA to Reveal Concept Car – Dave Pinter
Wieden Kennedy’s Nokia Competition Shows That Crowdsourcing can Suck For the Crowd – Piers Fawkes

Honda Tron commercial from RBG6

Global Trends and Futuring Manager, Sheryl Connelly, tells PSFK about how Ford has had to shift its focus in an everchanging market.

HubCulture points us to the Fiat 500 which the auto-company plans to launch in September 2007.