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

The 500-hp club: The room is getting crowded

At a time when fuel economy counts for just about everything, there's still a horsepower war raging in the United States. The number of fire-breathing wedge-shaped supercars and hot sedans and coupes that can pump out 500 hp or better has nearly doubled in the past five years to more than 70. A decade ago there were just two members of the 500 hp club in the United States: the Ferrari 575M and Lamborghini Murcielago.

VW boss Bernhard quits

By Tim Pollard Motor Industry 12 January 2007 09:57 Volkswagen boss Wolfgang Bernhard has quit the company as part of a shake-up at Europe's biggest car maker. The news comes as little surprise after months of uncertainty and change at the top of VW. Bernhard built a reputation as an abrasive operator in his short stint as CEO of the Wolfsburg company and had numerous confrontations with unions as he pushed through more modern working practices.

Concept Car of the Week: Mercedes F200 Imagination (1996)

The F200 Imagination was designed at Mercedes' Advanced Design studio in Tokyo, in response to the question 'does the car of the future still have a steering wheel and foot-operated controls?' Take a look at the car's interior and the answer was fairly emphatic, as the steering wheel and pedals were replaced by joysticks, called Sidesticks, that operated the throttle, brakes and steering by wire. There were two sticks to choose from, one on the left of the cabin and one in the center console. However, both had the same function – push forward to accelerate, left or right to turn, and back to brake – so either of the front passengers could control the car.