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Having a vehicle that looks too plastic-y is never a good thing, but the latest and advanced plastic manufacturers like Borealis and Sabic are looking to the auto-world to help further their cause of plastic. Borealis is using the Fiat 500 as its test vehicle for TPO. TPO is polypropylene-based Daplen thermoplastic olefins, whatever the hell that means. It really just translates to plastic that is very scratch resistant and has the ability to achieve uniform thickness. Opel is getting in on the high-tech plastic game, as well. More »
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I have a friend who makes his living selling vintage cereal boxes, which is a fine and honorable profession. But come on, there's no geeky vintage collectible cooler than the box art from plastic model kits of the 1955-1975 era (I'm in real danger of hitting eBay for an unassembled Revell Canned Heat dragster kit). This photographer's vast collection of online photos of such kits includes some real winners from the era; Murilee says check 'em out. – Murilee Martin More »
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Anyone wondering where the plastics economy is headed (c'mon, we know you're out there) need only check out what students from London's Royal College of Art's Vehicle Design program have been up to. The smarties across the pond recently completed a GE-sponsored project, PLASTicon, in which they created prototypes using various cutting-edge polymers and such. Their concepts, targeted to specific buyers and markets, suggest a future world where a driver will sit under a simulated starry sky, in a car he's designed himself, which can change color depending on its temperature. Yes, the future will be psychotropic. More »
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