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

The Mini is 50 years old today

  Today - 08/05/2009 - is the 50th anniversary of the first Mini rolling off the production line. To celebrate, and for a bit of free publicity (see, we’re playing the game) BMW has shipped the first Mini to roll of the production line back to Cowley to celebrate (picture at the bottom). 621 AOK, a Mini Minor, in Old English White, looks as fresh as the day it rolled off the production line half a century ago (although I wouldn’t mind betting it doesn’t have it’s original sills – they always rusted through – or copes with its original distributor and leads – one splash of rain and the car ground to a halt!).

Land Rover reveals amazing ‘invisible bonnet’ technology

The Land Rover Discovery Vision Concept car will debut groundbreaking ‘virtual bonnet’ technology that uses augmented reality to make the front of the car invisible. The new tech is part of a range of technology features to be revealed on the firm’s New York Motor Show star car next week (16 April). Land Rover Discovery Vision Concept (2014): first glimpse Land Rover Discovery family to grow with new models It uses cameras located in the grille to capture what the car will drive over – and then uses powerful processing software to feed this into a head-up display.

Alfa Romeo/IED Gloria [w/gallery]

The European Institute of Design (IED) in Turin will unveil its new Gloria concept, developed in collaboration with Alfa Romeo Style Center, at next month's Geneva motor show. These renders of the sports sedan concept, which is 4,200mm long, 1,920mm wide, 1,320mm high sitting on a wheelbase of 2,900mm, show a traditional Alfa grille that feeds into the hood's prominent V-shaped character lines. Two leather hood straps in front of the windshield are a nod to the brand's older models.