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

Mark Donohue’s 1971 Trans-Am champion Javelin hits the auction block

A piece of Penske Racing history will be up for bid at Russo and Steele’s 10th-anniversary Monterey Auction, Aug. 12-14. Driven by Mark Donohue, the 1971 AMC Javelin won the 1971 SCCA Trans-Am Championship with seven victories in 10 races that year.

CCS launches MFA degree programs

The College for Creative Studies in Michigan, USA, is set to launch new Master of Fine Arts (MFA) degree programs in Design and Transportation Design. The new courses, which launch in Fall 2009, will give students a broad scope of skills and experience in 2D and 3D design, and will include a basic study in business that will take place at the University of Michigan's respected Stephen M Ross School of Business. CCS says that this will equip graduates with the tools required to implement concepts and make strategic decisions - increasingly important parts of a 21st century car designer's skillset.

Lexus IS 300h promises unrivalled ownership costs

The new Lexus IS - launched at Detroit in January and costing from £26,495 for the IS 250 in the UK – actually offers ownership costs that eclipse diesel offerings from the likes of Jaguar, BMW, Audi and Mercedes, say Lexus. Despite the logical assumption that the complex hybrid powerplant in the IS 300h would cost more to maintain, Lexus say the opposite is true. Because it has no clutch and the starter motor and alternator are integrated they require no servicing or replacement and Lexus has fitted a timing chain instead of a timing belt, so it won’t need regular replacement either.