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

Demise of kei cars on the horizon?

The kei car has long been a staple of the Japanese automobile industry and its car culture. Too diminutive for Western markets, the tiny cars and trucks are a strong influencer of design in Japan. Now, as The New York Times reports, the Japanese government has hit kei cars with increases in sales tax, gasoline prices and has reduced the kei car tax break introduced to make the cars popular in the first place by 50 percent.

Team Lotus snaps up Caterham +video

Team Lotus buys Caterham Cars - and a Team Lotus Special Edition Seven to celebrate Team Lotus – that’s the ‘Lotus’ F1 run by Tony Fernandes, not the Hethel mob run by Dany Bahar – has bought Caterham Cars from Corven Ventures for an undisclosed sum. Which is all very apposite, what with Caterham being the spiritual home of Colin Chapman’s Lotus Seven and keeper of the Chapman ethos of lighter is better. To tie Caterham back in to the Lotus name could work wonders for sales.

College Exhibition: Pforzheim University Summer Degree Show 2006

Transportation Design students at Germany's Pforzheim University displayed their work in the school's summer degree show held in July, one of two graduation shows per year. The show was held in conjunction with the International Transportation Design Forum 2006, alongside work from six other international design schools. The exhibition included work from graduating Diploma and Masters students, exterior and interior projects by the 5th and 7th semester students, as well as work from students in the earlier stages of the Diploma and Masters courses.