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

Aston Martin Rapide S arrives with 550 horses

Aston Martin is replacing the four-door Rapide with the Rapide S, which gets minor styling tweaks and extra power. Just as they did with the new DB9, Aston Martin has made the new Rapide S a more aggressive car, with small styling tweaks like a new grill and a small spoiler at the back, some minor trim tweaks with the addition of Piano Black trim and a new duotone black and red leather trim, and an optional carbon fibre pack for exterior highlights. Under the skin, the Rapide S is still based on Aston’s VH platform, but it does get the latest Gen 4 tweaks including new adaptive dampers with Normal, Sport and Track modes, tweaked dynamic stability control (DSC) and the latest AM11 engine dropped by 19mm for a lower centre of gravity.

Ford Fiesta Zetec S Red and Black Edition revealed – price from £15,995

The Fiesta Black and Red Editions arrive with a 138bhp 1.0 litre EcoBoost Everyone loves a sporty Fiesta – still a cracking little car in any guise – but it looks like Ford has spotted a gap in the market between the Zetec S with the 1.0 litre EcoBoost and the Fiesta ST. So we get the Ford Fiesta Zetec S Red and Black Editions to fill the gap we didn’t actually know was there. Ford has managed to squeeze even more power from their little 1.0 litre, 3-cylinder EcoBoost engine to give the Fiesta Red and Black Editions 138bhp, enough to crack 62mph in just 9.0 seconds.

General Motors boss Dan Akerson gets into the Woodward Dream Cruise act

General Motors chairman Dan Akerson personally led a parade down metro Detroit's famed boulevard for car aficionados, Woodward Avenue, on Thursday as part of festivities for Chevrolet's 100th anniversary and in advance of the Woodward Dream Cruise. Taking the wheel of a cherry-red 1960 Corvette, Akerson helmed the procession of Chevy icons, which included 51 Volts. The group was augmented by Camaros, more Vettes and other classics.