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

GM claims 23-mpg average in E-ROD 1955 Chevrolet Bel Air

First introduced in 2009, the GM Performance Parts (GMPP) E-ROD program was born with the mission of creating fuel-efficient, emissions-compliant engine packages for hot-rodders. Now the program is back in the news as GMPP claims that an E-ROD-powered 1955 Bel Air returned 23 mpg on a trip from Michigan to Florida while producing emissions comparable to those of a new Camaro SS. All of that green doesn't come inexpensive--or easy.

Video: Chris Bangle delivers “Empowerment: Design without Designers” talk at Creative Mornings/London

Chris Bangle – the undisputed front man of car design – needs little introduction, so the prospect of the former BMW Design Director and now founder of Chris Bangle Associates giving a talk in our home town of London was too good to pass up. His presentation (which you can watch in full in the video to the left) touched on his time at BMW, but was more focused on the idea of empowering others to create: "design without you in the middle", as Bangle says. From the story of the co-creation of the staircase in his Italian studio to the idea of encouraging people to think about their culture when designing, his philosophies transcend disciplines.

Heathrow Pod: Driverless cars ferry airport passengers

Heathrow Pod - driverless transport at Heathrow's T5 Heathrow Terminal  5 (T5) didn’t have the easiest of starts, with endless teething problems making air travel even more fraught than it already is. But things have improved a lot, and T5 is now one of the better places to depart from, if depart you must. And from today it should get easier, with the launch of the Heathrow Pod shuttle system.