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

Audi R8 Spyder raises £620k for Elton John AIDS Foundation

Elton, David and the man from Audi with the chromed R8 Spyder The Elton John AIDS Foundation (EJAF) needs no big introduction from us, especially to regular readers. Quite simply, it’s an astonishingly generous charitable foundation founded by, and driven ever on, by Elton John, and it’s raised getting on for £50 million since Elton founded it in 1993, thanks in no small part to Elton’s generosity with his royalties (always making sure he has enough left over for flowers, of course). And as it’s Elton who’s the heart and soul of the EJAF, fund raisers tend to be a little more interesting than a bring and buy stall on the local village green.

New Mercedes S Class to use Maybach badge on top models?

Will the top-end Mercedes S-Class models get the Maybach badge? (S63 AMG pictured) Having tried to bring the Maybach badge back from the history books and build a car to compete with Rolls Royce, Mercedes finally admitted it hadn’t worked last year and called time on their Maybach adventure. But having spent untold millions on reviving the Maybach name – and giving it public awareness – it seems Mercedes may not be prepared to shelve the Maybach name completely as there seem to be plans afoot to badge the extra long Mercede S Class with the Maybach badge.

Fiat dual-clutch transmissions are planned for North American products

During the next five years, Chrysler Group's powertrain lineup will be transformed from one dominated by larger-displacement engines to one dominated by Fiat-derived four-cylinder engines, V6s and, eventually, electric vehicles. Chrysler also said Wednesday that it will add Fiat-designed dual-clutch transmissions in its North American products. The company also will launch its new Pentastar V6 engine on the 2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee in the second quarter next year, said Paolo Ferrero, Chrysler's powertrain chief.