Connected Car
Francois Castaing, who engineered the Dodge Viper, helped take Jeep from a niche off-road brand to a major market presence, and helped lead Chrysler during what was its last great renaissance in the 1990s, has passed away at the age of 78. After a stint in the military Castaing returned, by which time the team had been absorbed by Renault. They named him technical director and won Le Mans in the first attempt of which Castaing was a part, then entered Formula 1. Castaing, at left, with the Renault F1 team RenaultFrom there he went to American Motors, Renault’s partner in the US. In that era, million-dollar Chrysler and Jeep concept cars seemed to adorn every major car show all over the world.