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One Lap of the Web: Porsche flat-fours, hot rod artists and German car shows

We spend a lot of time on the Internet -- pretty much whenever we're not driving, writing about or working on cars. Since there's more out there than we'd ever be able to cover, here's our daily digest of car stuff on the Web you may not otherwise have heard about. -- You've heard of watching paint dry, but NHTSA has a new hobby: watching Fords rust.

2012 Ford Focus gets force-adjustable airbags

The redesigned 2012 Ford Focus will use front and side airbags designed to tailor the deployment force to the seat occupant. Ford expects that the new airbags will reduce the chances of people being injured by a bag deployment. The 2012 Focus, which goes on sale next spring, will be the first Ford vehicle to use the new airbags.

Record Breaker Aiming High With Audi

NOT content with falling out of a balloon from a great height, Austrian extreme athlete Felix Baumgartner is tackling his next big challenge on the famous Nordschleife circuit of the Nurburgring in Germany. Teaming up with Audi, the Austrian will obtain a racing license and become a driver with the Audi race experience team for the grueling Nurburgring 24 Hours in June. He’ll also be swapping his recording-breaking balloon for a race-prepared Audi R8.