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

Plenty of contenders for Pebble Beach honors

The one we saw first was Sam Mann's 1930 Duesenberg J Graber Cabriolet. It was entered in the Tour, a 60-mile pre-Pebble cruise around Monterey, down to Big Sur and back, which gives cars entered in the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance a chance to show that they are more than just pretty things. Mann's Duesey had all the looks of a winner, with its long front hood, flowing fenders and two seats way in the back.

One Lap of the Web: Drop the (AMG) Hammer, Superbirds and Sir Mix-A-Lot's Porsche

-- It's the mid-1980s. You have bottomless pockets and the need for speed. Do you buy a Countach or stick with a sleepy-looking W124 Mercedes-Benz station wagon?

Volvo V40 Cross Country & V40 R-Design: Paris 2012

Volvo has revealed the V40 Cross Country and V40 R-Design at the 2012 Paris Motor Show, and both are convincing. The sporty take on the new V40 is the V40 R-design, a cosmetic update for the already good-looking V40 that manages to bolt on go-faster bits without wrecking the good lines of the normal V40. We would like to have seen the Volvo V40 R-Design get the sports suspension as standard, but Volvo obviously feel that most R-Design buyers want the looks rather than the more dynamic ride the sports suspension offers, so it stays as an option. And as the R-Design option is available across the new V40 range – from the D2 to the T4 – it’s probably the right decision.