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.

Dassault Systèmes and Autodesign & Styling's 'Prague Experience' contest launched

Dassault Systèmes and AutoDesign & Styling magazine are looking for designs for everyday objects inspired by the Czech capital of Prague for their annual international design competition. The contest, which is open to designers from all over the world, calls for entries that are both user- and eco-friendly and reflect the character of Prague as a European city full of famous architecture and hundreds of monuments. Anne Asensio, vice-president of design experience at Dassault Systèmes and jury president for the past two years, said, "We are pleased to announce the third annual competition, and we have already introduced a small tradition.

GM delays second shift at Volt plant

General Motors is delaying the addition of a second shift at its Michigan assembly plant that makes the Chevrolet Volt. In May, GM said that it would add a second shift at its Detroit-Hamtramck plant by late this fall to double Volt production. Instead, a plant overhaul completed this summer, along with a more-modest addition of workers, will allow GM to double production starting early next year while remaining on one shift, the company said Friday.