Autoblog

We'll avoid the trite jokes about Jack Kirby's Mustang sculpture being a "nice car, bud." Ouch. There, it slipped out anyway. Now we can just move on. Rather than just stack up the red, white, and blue swill cans to the ceiling, as would most college students, the art and design scholar built a car instead. Kirby's chef d'oeuvre came to be when Budweiser rolled out its UK-only "Budbucks" promotion this summer – grand prize, a 1965 Mustang, Jack's favorite car. Whether or not he wins the contest, we bet it was one heck of a good time to consume the 5,000 beers that donated their containers. Then again, being a college student, he probably drank them all in one night, alone.

Thanks to tipster Marsh

[Source: CAR, Metro.co.uk]

Were I still in high school, I'd be saving up for plane tickets to Zuffenhausen. In a lot of ways, apprenticeships pwn the hell out of college degrees. Instead of spending a lot of time reading about how things are done, you jump right in and get to stand at the elbow of a master and see the how and why for yourself. That's the stuff that really drives retention. Porsche offers training for 14 different career paths, and they've got 100 openings for apprenticeships starting in September 2008. Porsche is craving industrial mechanics, who gain a deep knowledge of automotive engineering during their apprenticeship, where they're also schooled in the practice of Porsche construction.

Not a nuts and bolts type? Porsche is also looking for electron jockeys to fill electro-mechanical engineering slots. Rather than constantly complain about modern ICE setups, electro-mechanical automotive engineers have the power to change it. They specialize in the technology that's poured into Porsche automobiles. If you're looking to see the world, Porsche is especially interested, as they're looking to set service centers in the emerging markets of Russia and China. The best part? Porsche is less concerned with your marks than it is with the octane rating of your bloodstream. Apparently passion trumps grades in the right person. Do endless 911-shaped doodles count as extra credit?

Hit the jump for the press release

[Source: Porsche]

In March General Motors partnered with the College for Creative Studies and began visiting 15 Detroit area public high schools to seek out and encourage the next generation of car designers coming up the ranks. Seasoned car designers from GM's Design Center and students from CSS provided instruction to the students who were charged with designing a vehicle for the 17-25 year-old crowd. The 50 lucky students chosen for the program, which is called "You Make a Difference," were invited to also participate in Advanced Sketching Clinics during the summer and six will receive a $5,000 scholarship towards freshman tuition at CSS. Last night the students' work was displayed at an evening reception held at CSS. We'll be scouring the net for some pics of the students' work in the coming days.

If GM and the College for Creative Studies had walked into my high school I probably would have vacated my bowels in excitement as, like many young auto enthusiasts, car design was at the top of my list for future careers. Unfortunately I (arguably) learned how to construct complete sentences while speaking colorfully about cars... sigh.

[Source: GM]