2004 04 Honda Trx450s Trx Throttle Box 100734 on 2040-parts.com

Video: Honda Super Ultra Daydreams has us smiling with joy

Honda's press conference at last week's press conference was full of the usual marketing messages about sales figures, new models and company strategies but the thing that caught our magpie-like eyes was this joyful little video. The cheeky vector graphics feature 19 of the company's concept cars from the last 20 years, starting with the 1994 FSR right up to the NSX via such wonderful oddities as the Kiwami and P-Nut, all accompanied by a bouncy score.  It reminded us all why this is a brand that has always stood out as individual and creative even if the last few years have been a little sparse.

Mercedes-Benz reveals SLS E-Cell performance data

Mercedes-Benz has lifted the veil of secrecy on the plug-in-electric propulsion system of its upcoming SLS E-Cell, first revealed in concept form at the 2009 Frankfurt auto show. Set to go into limited production in early 2013, the zero-emission version of the German carmaker's signature gullwing coupe is set to rival a raft of new high-priced electric or hybrid supercars due out in the not-too-distant future, including the Audi E-tron, the BMW i8, the Jaguar C-X75 and the Porsche 918. The car is undergoing development at Mercedes-Benz's performance-car AMG unit and its British-based sister company, AMG High Performance Powertrains--the company behind Mercedes' latest 2.4-liter V6 Formula One race engine.

The Porsche 911: the car that shouldn’t work but does

Humanity might struggle perpetually with questions like the meaning of life, but it does know one thing for sure: rear engine cars are bad. Like a sling shot, the heavy engine at the back is always trying to overtake the driver in front. Anyone can understand that.Yet the Porsche 911 - one of the fastest cars on the market, and one of the most enduring in history - has its engine at the back.