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

The no-show cars: a reader rant on mad concepts

Instigated by Harley Earl at General Motors in the late 30s with the quaintly named Buick Y-Job, show cars, or concept cars, were presented to an excited public eager for new things. As the world recovered from a depression and then a war, these vehicles pointed to a better future that many people believed in, including the people who produced them. And, although many of the concept cars of the 50s, with their Jetsons plexiglass roofs and notional nuclear powered engines seem ludicrous now, in their time they weren’t that cynical.

Peterbilt and Local Motors launch online competition

Peterbilt Motors has teamed up with Local Motors to launch a new online competition, the Peterbilt Road Icon Generation 2 challenge. The challenge is to design the next generation Peterbilt Icon, using existing elements of the cab to create a more aerodynamic, modern and stylish product. Designers will have the support and feedback of Peterbilt designers and engineers throughout the submission stage.

Subaru BRZ Concept STI (2011) first official pictures

You can imagine how Subaru must have been feeling as partner Toyota hogged the headlines with its FT-86. But at long last, someone at Subaru has seen sense and decided to issue an official picture of the new BRZ coupe. This is the Subaru BRZ Concept STi – a rather obviously production-ready glimpse of the new rear-wheel drive coupe, co-developed between Subaru parent Fuji Heavy Industries and Toyota.