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

GM to build eight-speed transmission in Toledo

General Motors is directing $204 million of a $2 billion investment in its U.S. plants toward building an eight-speed automatic transmission in Toledo. Automakers are turning to transmissions with more gears to meet more stringent fuel-economy regulations.

BMW i3 EV revealed. It’s clever, but it’s not exactly pretty

The BMW i3 electric city car (pictured) has been officially revealed The BMW i3 – the first of BMW’s production ‘i’ electric cars – has finally been revealed at events in London, New York and Beijing as BMW plots its course to bring a premium electric city car to the world. Looking much like the original Mega City Concept, the i3 debuts a number of innovations from BMW – which are very clever – but it also debuts perhaps the worst looking BMW we’ve ever seen, with its incongruous lines, bulging bonnet, odd shapes on the flanks and slab-backed rear view. But what underpins the i3 is clever indeed, with a lightweight inner body made from carbon fibre and carbon fibre reinforced body panels providing the skin, all conspiring to make the i3 light – 1195kg, despite 25 per cent or so of that being batteries – and very rigid.

Video shows race car flip from driver's view

Doug Peterson brought a new race car to the SCCA Chicago Region's June Sprints at Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wis., June 15-17. But the car's status moved from new to trashed in a few blinks of an eye. Video from a camera mounted on the car shows Peterson making a move to the right as the field moves toward the start/finish line.