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Volkswagen Group names Paefgen head of classics program

You may remember the name Franz-Josef Paefgen. Until recently, the German engineer and executive was head of both Bentley and Bugatti. Before that he was chief executive of Audi, after working for several years at Ford. He technically "retired" earlier this year, but like the cars he helped create, an executive like Paefgen could never really retire. So it should come as little surprise that the Volkswagen Group has named Dr. Paefgen head of its Classic program.
In his new capacity, Paefgen will oversee the historic automobile activities of the entire VW Group, including those of Volkswagen, Seat, Skoda, Audi, Lamborghini, and of course Bentley and Bugatti. It strikes us as a suitable semi-retirement for the man responsible in no small part for the Bugatti Veyron and Bentley Mulsanne, to name just two, and who was decorated in 2006 by the ACO as the "Spirit of Le Mans" for his contribution to endurance racing. Read the official announcement after the break.

Porsche designer to head Lamborghini style department

The winds of change are blowing through the front office in Sant'Agata Bolognese. Not only does Lamborghini have a new chief executive, but not it named a new chief designer as well. And he comes from Porsche. Mitja Borkert is his name, and he's been working in the Porsche design department since 1999. He headed up its advanced design office until 2014 when he was named head of exterior design for the company. The Macan, Cayenne, and the new 987 Boxster were all heavily influenced by his work, as were concepts like the Panamera Sport Turismo and Mission E. As the new director of the Centro Stile at Lamborghini, Borkert takes over from Felippo Perini, who's heading over to run Italdesign – a job that used to belong to Wolfgang Egger. The once-independent design firm was taken over by the Volkswagen Group in 2010, and recently saw its famous founder Giorgetto Giugiaro leave to start another office afresh. The shift in the design office follows hot on the heels of the announcement that longtime CEO Stephan Winkelmann is leaving for Audi's Quattro GmbH, and that former Scuderia Ferrari team principal Stefano Domenicali is moving in to take his place on the outskirts of Bologna. Considering how different their design approaches are, it will be interesting to see how a longtime Porsche designer applies his skills to Lamborghinis. Will future Raging Bulls go softer and more rounded, or will Borkert have to pull some new tricks out from his sleeve? We'll be watching to find out. Related Video: Mitja Borkert is the new Director of Centro Stile Lamborghini Sant'Agata Bolognese, 1 March 2016 – Automobili Lamborghini has appointed Mitja Borkert as the new Director of its Centro Stile (design center), starting from 4 April 2016. In his new role Mr. Borkert is responsible for the design of future Lamborghini models and the coordination of the design team, reporting to Maurizio Reggiani, Board Member for Research and Development. He succeeds Filippo Perini, who was appointed Design Director of Italdesign. Borkert is German, aged 42, and attended the Design University of Pforzheim where he graduated in Transportation Design. In 1999, he began work at Style Porsche, in Weissach, holding various positions, including General Manager Advanced Design until 2014, when he was appointed Director of Exterior Design. He contributed to the development of several Porsche models (Panamera Sport Turismo, Porsche Boxster 987 facelift, Cayenne, Macan, Mission e).

'SNL' car thief sketch shows saving the manuals can save your car

It's not news that the number of cars available with a manual transmission has dwindled, and a big reason for that is people just aren't learning how to drive them. Still, it's a worthwhile skill to pick up. Our number one reason would be because it's fun, but you never know when you might to need to do it in a pinch. Perhaps you'll have to drive a friend's old stick-shift car in an emergency, or maybe it's just a really cool car and they're giving you the chance to try it out. Or in the case of this Saturday Night Live sketch, maybe you're trying to steal a vintage Lamborghini. Yes, in the sketch titled "Car Heist," the stereotypical, "Gone in 60 Seconds"-style Hollywood break-in goes terribly awry when the wheelman is completely confounded by the three pedals and gated shifter of the target Lamborghini Diablo. And with two minutes to leave before the doors close again, his backer's attempts to teach him over the radio go about as well as you could expect, as he has to get his head around using both feet and having to learn what a clutch is. It's a situation that anyone that's learned to use a manual or has helped teach others to will find fun. I had an internship with Hagerty Insurance several years ago, and I helped with their program teaching young drivers how to drive stick with vintage and enthusiast cars. If I only had two minutes to teach someone to drive, and had to do it over the phone, I think things would've gone about as well. So give it a watch and have a little laugh. And then, if you haven't learned yet, find someone to teach you or at least watch the video below. Related Video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. Humor TV/Movies Lamborghini manual transmissions saturday night live