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

New De Tomaso Pantera at Frankfurt

What is thought to be the new Pantera leaving the De Tomaso facility So far all we’ve officially had from the new De Tomaso, now run by ex Fiat man Gian Mario Rossignolo, is the not particularly well-received De Tomaso Deauville at Geneva in the Spring. It seemed an odd route for the revived De Tomaso to go, and an odd choice of name. The Deauville seems to be halfway between the (poor-selling) BMW 5-Series GT and a Porsche Cayenne.

Chrysler Sebring Convertible

By Ben Whitworth Motor Industry 29 November 2006 09:43 America’s best-selling convertible arrives here a year from now – complete with right-hand drive layout, tax-friendly turbo diesel power, metal folding roof, sharpened dynamics and a £22k price. Unveiled at this week’s Los Angeles motor show, the all-new Sebring will come with the choice of either a Volkswagen-sourced 2.0-litre 140bhp turbo diesel fourpot or Chrysler’s own 189bhp 2.7-litre V6 petrol engine, hooked up to six-cog automatic or manual boxes. Chrysler’s engineers claim that roof down, the new convertible is two and a half times stiffer than its predecessor, which is just as well as the previous model – which was sold in minute quantities here back in 2001 – had all the torsional rigidity of a wet bath sponge.

One Lap of the Web: Car creatures of the Hollywood Hills

-- Jay Leno, presumably back from filming McQueen's Jaguar XKSS, now places his chin atop the front seat of a 1925 Doble E-20, which, being steam-powered, fulfills Leno's interpretation of alt-fuel. Abner Doble built his first steam car while he was still in high school, and by 1915 the Doble Detroit had set new standards of reliability, convenience, noiselessness, and speed -- in 1925, Howard Hughes drove Leno's Model E to 132 mph. -- Los Angeles, car culture capital of the world, has its fair share of hipsters, eccentrics, airheads and Chrysler LeBarons.