Arias Pistons 12.5:1 Compression 82mm Bore Honda B-series on 2040-parts.com

Aston Martin drops Cygnet city car

Autocar is reporting that the diminutive Aston Martin Cygnet has been dropped from the company’s portfolio. The automaker, now owned by Prodrive and private equity firm Invenstindustrial, will focus on its “core product range,” also known as “good cars.” Autocar posits that the justification for the Cygnet was to continue producing V8 and V12 cars, while keeping its average CO2 emissions down. The Cygnet shared bones with the Toyota iQ city car and used a 97-hp, 1.3-liter engine and got 58.9 mpg using the U.S.

Porsche threatens to pull Boxster production from Magna

Porsche is considering canceling an existing contract with Magna to build the next-generation Boxster and Cayman in Austria starting in 2013 and may instead move production to Karmann in Germany. The move would be aimed at protecting Porsche's closely guarded engineering and production cost secrets for its upcoming entry-level roadster and coupe. Porsche insiders say plans established under former boss Wendelin Weideking to build the Boxster and the Cayman at Magna's Graz factory in Austria are now being heavily reviewed following the Canadian/Austrian company's bid to take control of financially embattled Opel from General Motors.

McLaren 650S (2014) first official pictures

By Phil McNamara First Official Pictures 17 February 2014 13:00 Punchier, a few kilos lighter, more incisive to drive yet more luxurious, McLaren has overhauled the 12C to create the 650S. The new supercar – which makes the 12C look obsolete – is in production now, and will cost punters around £195,000 for the coupe. A folding hard-top spider will also be available, for around £215,000. In a strategy reminiscent of Aston Martin’s continuous improvement of the DB9 and its transformation into the Vanquish, McLaren has revamped the carbonfibre 12C with 25% new parts.