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

How to Draw Cars Now! tutorials target budding car designers

Whether you're just starting out in car design, or if you're looking to brush up on your presentation techniques, How to Draw Cars Now! Analog vs Digital Drawing Techniques by Arvind Ramkrishna is a new resource that aims to improve your skills. Not to be confused with the I Draw Cars Sketchbook, Ramkrishna's offers two DVDs, a 20-page reference book as well as three Ebooks that cover all the basics of automotive illustration from basic sketching techniques through to full-blown digital painting with all steps in between.

New MoT failure figures reveal surprises

BETWEEN January and August 2013 253,000 vehicles failed their first MoT, according to new data. 70 million records from the Vehicle Operation and Services Agency (VOSA) were examined to reveal the patterns of failure for cars receiving their first MoT, required three years from the date of first registration. However, while the best performers have pre-existing reputations for reliability, the bottom of the table reveals some surprises.

British EV prototype competes for $10m prize

A Silverstone-based company has emerged as the only British (and European) contender for the $10m Automotive X-Prize, a competition to find the most environmentally friendly car on the planet. Delta Motorsport’s E-4 Coupe concept has been accepted into the next stage of the X-Prize competition and the company now has to prepare a fully functioning prototype. Backed by an American insurance company, the X-Prize was set up to 'inspire a new generation of viable, super-efficient vehicles that help break our addiction to oil and stem the effects of climate change'.