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

The no-show cars: a reader rant on mad concepts

Instigated by Harley Earl at General Motors in the late 30s with the quaintly named Buick Y-Job, show cars, or concept cars, were presented to an excited public eager for new things. As the world recovered from a depression and then a war, these vehicles pointed to a better future that many people believed in, including the people who produced them. And, although many of the concept cars of the 50s, with their Jetsons plexiglass roofs and notional nuclear powered engines seem ludicrous now, in their time they weren’t that cynical.

Citroën to unveil DS4 Racing 'concept'

Citroën is set to debut its all-new DS4 Racing concept at next month's Geneva show as part of its evolution of the DS lineup. The concept, developed by Citroën Racing – the company's seven-time WRC winning motorsports division – is host to a range of new features courtesy of the Citroën Racing engineers. The chassis has been lowered by 35mm from that of the DS3, with the track being widened by 55mm at the front and 75mm at the rear along with the inclusion of 19-inch wheels.

Volkswagen XL1 concept car (2011) first photos

Volkswagen 'will build the XL1' - Piech Volkswagen today unveiled the XL1 - its latest concept car iteration of its 'one-litre' eco car, 2011-style. Originally the brainchild of Ferdinand Piech, the VW L1 was the 2002 vision for a green car that supped just one litre of fuel per 100 kilometres. Now the idea is back for 2011, and it's called the XL1.