In keeping with the “earthdream” color scheme for their F1 racers, Honda has been trying out a hydrogen-fueled car, the FCX, with selected customers in California. The styling is a bit retro, boxy and unimaginative but, when it’s alternative fuels that matter, who cares about the car’s looks?

Well, it seems Honda does. They have been showing off a new body for the FCX that is much more up to date and stylish. Called the FCX Concept, it has the usual modern grin for a grille and swooping lines everywhere.

I must be getting old – to me it just looks ugly…

I never liked Cadillacs until I came to the States. That event coincided with some of the best cars ever made by Cadillac – it was as though they put on a special effort just for me. And I am a complete convert; in my opinion, Cadillacs are now the best looking and most desirable of all American cars.

The Cadillac Sixteen, a design exercise from 2003, is the essence of all that has been good about Caddies ever since. Styling features have influenced later models and the car itself, with its 14.6 liter 16 cylinder engine, is the perfect combination of sports and luxury. It looks a brute and, thankfully, it is. No wonder Cadillacs today are serious contenders for the motorist’s checkbook.

Here’s what Top Gear had to say about the Sixteen when they tried it (lucky blighters).

Warwick University’s Eco One

The WMG students at Warwick University have designed and built one of the greenest cars on earth, the Eco One – and it’s made from potatoes and cashew nuts, amongst other exotic materials. Amazingly, it’s a racing car capable of 150 mph and runs on bio-fuels.

The ultimate aim of the students’ project is to build a car that is ninety-five percent bio-degradable or recyclable. The Eco One is just the beginning, it seems. But it does show what is already possible in this field of research and points the way for manufacturers of green cars in the future.

The Eco One will debut at the Sexy Green Car Show at the Eden Project between March 30 and April 15, where it will stand alongside the offerings of some of the largest car manufacturers in the world. To learn more, visit the Warwick University site or read PitPass’ article giving the racing view of the project.

Only those as ancient as I am will remember that indicators were once little arrows that swung up from between the doors to show which way you were going to turn. They might have been a logical development of the old hand signals but were not exactly highly visible from either end of the car, even when supplied with lights.

It was inevitable, therefore that designers soon came up with a better solution to the problem – the flashing lights at front and rear that joined the main lights in a cluster. According to research published in the Journal of Applied Cognitive Psychology, however, the idea needs refinement, even though we have used it for fifty years. The question is: do the indicators go inside the main lights or outside?

Their research has shown that indicators placed between the main lights are less easily identified and reacted upon by other road users. Much clearer is the system whereby the indicators are close to the corners of the car and outside the headlights. It seems a fairly obvious conclusion after a few seconds’ thought but many designers may not have considered the problem, judging by the numbers of cars with indicators in the “wrong” place these days.

So the Lotus Elise up there would be a no-no to the psychologists, whereas the Audi immediately below would receive the seal of approval. A designer’s lot is not an easy one…