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

Kustom kar kings' Dean Jeffries dead at 80

UPDATED: Dean Jeffries, a contemporary of California's great kustom kar kings in the early 1950s, who would go on to fame making cars for TV and movies, died Sunday, May 5 at 80. Jeffries grew up in Lynwood, Calif., across the street from Indy racer Troy Ruttman and around the corner from Sam and George Barris' shop. He spent his days hanging around the greats: George Cerny, Von Dutch and Big Daddy Roth.

Alfa Romeo MiTo gets a bit of a facelift for 2014 & more powerful TwinAir

The 2014 MY Alfa MiTo (pictured) get small tweaks and a more powerful TwinAir engine. We like the Alfa Romeo MiTo; it’s an underrated car and should be higher on most buyers’ wish lists. What we also like is that the MiTo has the fun little 875cc TwinAir engine as an option, which works pretty well, makes a good noise and promises stunning economy.

Chevrolet six-month global sales highest in a century

Chevrolet saw 2.35 million global sales in the first six months of 2011--its best first-half mark in 100 years. The automaker credits the success of new small-car models for much of the growth, namely the Cruze compact, the Spark minicar, the Aveo/Sonic small car and the Orlando MPV. Chevrolet sales increased 14 percent in the United States from the same half-year period in 2010, with 286,499 more units sold.