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

Volkswagen Passat Alltrack: The VW Allroad arrives

The VW Passat Alltrack - debuts in Tokyo Volkswagen has jumped on to the Allroad bandwagon with its own take on Audi’s faux off-roader, with the reveal of the 2012 VW Passat Alltrack. As you would expect, the Passat Alltrack is a butched-up Passat Estate with a raised ride height, extra bits of plastic round the bumpers, skid plates, flared side sills and 4WD – VW’s 4MOTION – for more traction in boot sale car parks. But when you don’t need the 4WD, around 90 poer cent of the drive is through the front wheels – saving fuel – with the rear wheel drive only coming in to play when you start to slip and slide.

Pirelli unveils 2012 edition of 'artistic' calendar

Tiremaker Pirelli has previewed the 2012 edition of its calendar, known for its regular use of unclothed models in artistic poses and the exclusivity of the list of recipients. Photographer Mario Sorrenti chose the island of Corsica as the location to capture his "swoon" images. This is the first time that Sorrenti has shot the calendar, which has used many famous photographers in the past including Annie Leibovitz, Richard Avedon and Bruce Weber.

On the 'road' carpet at the Cars 2 premiere

Larry the Cable Guy was there! In place of the usual red carpet, stars of the movie Cars 2 walked down a "road" carpet--a two-lane black carpet complete with white-striped center line--at the movie's premiere on Saturday night in Hollywood, Calif. The usually traffic-clogged Hollywood Boulevard was closed for two blocks as limos dropped off the famous, the somewhat less famous and a bunch of people who were largely ignored by everybody.