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

One Lap of the Web: We invented the Miata!

-- Sochi or bust! Is there anything more Russian than driving a Lada Niva to the Winter Olympics? (Flagrant corruption, perhaps.) Documentary producer Vlad Ketkovich calls the venerable Niva "the closest thing to an automotive version of the Russian soul," and we'd wager that the Niva belongs in quintessential Russian-ness next to the Bolshoi Ballet and the movie "Russian Ark." (Or "Ninth Company," if your attention span has been blown to bits.) -- A gorgeous Alfa Romeo ventures into the woods by itself.

One Lap of the Web: Russian dash-cam ghost machines

-- Brace yourselves, people: "Dynamic" is not the only marketing buzzword of the moment. Now there's "velocity," which makes sense if you think of cars designed to move forward in some form or another. It actually refers to how fast an auto dealer can get you a cup of coffee, a pat on the back and a signature on the dotted line, as Lindsay Chappelle of Automotive News explains.

Mazda RX-8 gets an update – in Japan

Mazda has updated the RX-8 in Japan with new colours and extra equipment [ad#ad-1] Well, it does make sense to update your cars in your home market first, so the updates to the Mazda RX-8 for the Japanese market announced today are almost certain to come to UK cars before long. Just like the updates Mazda made to the MX-5 in Japan were followed by updates to the Mazda MX-5 UK spec car shortly after. Despite the fact that the Mazda RX-8 is not the best-selling car in the world, it does have an awful lot going for it.