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

CCS students tackle GM project

Seniors studying Transportation Design at the College for Creative Studies (CCS) in Detroit, Michigan, have recently completed a project with General Motors that has been underway since late 2009. General Motors challenged the students to design an Extended Range Electric Vehicle (EREV) that focused on the brand identity of Buick, Cadillac or Chevrolet, utilized the EREV components, and optimized aerodynamic attributes. Design features that incorporated sustainability materials and efficiency were also considered important components of the design development.

Driving Toyota's Pro/Celebrity Scion FR-S race cars

At the Streets of Willow Springs, there's a back straightaway that crests over a downhill and into a series of sudden, unsettling left turns. It's one of the most dramatic parts of the track, one that always trips up timid run groups. And as it turns out, heading blindly at 90 miles per hour, skimming the cones of the artificial chicane normally designed to slow lesser drivers who aren't Formula Drift prodigy Ken Gushi, will really put the fear of mortality into anyone who's signed up to ride shotgun -- especially when the car is the brand-new Scion FR-S race car for Toyota's Pro/Celebrity Race Series, here on its first outing.

Christopher Reitz joins Riversimple

Former Alfa Romeo Director of Design, Christopher Reitz, has joined the UK-based open-source car company, Riversimple. In a statement on Riversimple's website, Reitz said: "This really is a step into something different, to design cars that really are the future. Increasingly I have felt that it does not make much sense to move tons of steel around, using a lot of fuel and resources.