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

Concept Car of the Week: Volkswagen Microbus (2001)

The turn of the millennium seemed to induce a feeling of nostalgia among car manufacturers and with it a plethora of heritage/retro designs, including the new Mini, new Ford Mustang and Nissan Z. Following the runaway success of its New Beetle, which probably started the trend, VW asked itself whether it could enjoy the same success with a modern interpretation of the legendary T1 Microbus. Designed at the surf-central design studio in Simi Valley, California, the Microbus Concept took ample inspiration from its distant ancestor, but was modernized in every way.

Mark Adams on the Past, Present and Future of Opel Design

Back in 1938, GM showed the world's first concept car: Harley Earl's Buick Y-Job. Twenty-six years later, GM's Opel division became the first mainstream carmaker to design and build a concept in Europe. That car was the Opel Experimental GT, designed in 1964 and launched at the Frankfurt motor show in 1965.

Daihatsu FC ShoCase

The FC ShoCase is the most unorthodox of the three concepts being previewed by Daihatsu prior to their unveil at the forthcoming Tokyo motoshow. The 'FC' in the name stands for fuel cell, and this concept is in essence a technology demonstrator for the company's next generation technology, which use no precious metals in their construction. Sitting – like its concept siblings – under the Kei car classification (it is just 3395mm long), the FC ShoCase nonetheless has space for four occupants, seated in exceptionally thin seats that fold down to create a secondary floor.