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

Gift Guide: Automotive apparel for all seasons

From the earliest days of motoring, the relationship between automobiles and apparel has been symbiotic. Clothing worn by Brass Era car and motorcycle buffs was adopted mostly to protect drivers from the elements, rather than from the hazards of speed. Floor-length dusters, motoring coats and driving caps shielded motorists from cold wind and choking dust.

Lamborghini Urus SUV confirmed to arrive in 2017

The Urus will be VW Group’s lightest and quickest SUV – expected to best even the Porsche Cayenne Turbo – and will be built on VW’s new large SUV platform – the same platform that will underpin the Bentley Falcon SUV, Audi Q7 (and Audi Q9) and Porsche Cayenne – and will use a forged carbon composite structure from the central tunnel to the rear suspension to save weight. Power for the Urus is expected to come from the twin-turbo V8 we’ve already seen in the Bentley Continental GT and Audis, producing something in the region of 600bhp and perhaps even more if Lamborghini add a hybrid option to throw some electric assistance at the V8′s 600 horses. It seems likely the Urus concept will remain largely unchanged for production, although we could see some toning down of its more extreme elements, as Lamborghini look to add 3,000 sales a year to their annual total when the Urus hits showrooms.

Mercedes-Benz SLS prepped to go GT3 racing

Mercedes-Benz AMG pulled the wraps off its new race car on Monday in Oaxaca, Mexico, scene of a commemoration of Mercedes' victory in the 1952 Carrera Panamericana. The new SLS GT3 is a modified Mercedes-Benz SLS intended to meet FIA homologation requirements for the GT3 class in series throughout the world. While it's not known what the production car will look like when it starts going to customers either this fall--according to the press release--or "before the start of the 2011 racing season," according to AMG's Thomas Rappel, the prototype shown in Oaxaca had a full roll cage, a new front skirt with splitter, rear diffusers and an enormous rear wing.