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

Michelin Challenge Design competition celebrates 10 years

Michelin has released a short video documenting the last ten years of the Challenge Design competition. With excepts from jury members Freeman Thomas, Director of Advanced Design at Ford; Victor Nacif, VP of Design at Nissan Design Europe; Geza Loczi, Director of Design at Volvo Monitoring Concept Center; Dave Marek, Advanced Design Director for Honda North America; Steward Reed, Chair of Transportation Design at ACCD; Frank Saucedo, Design Director of GM's Advanced Design Studio in California and Chris Chapman of BMW Designworks USA, the video outlines some of the 2700 entries Michelin has received since the competition's inception in 2002. That year, the MCD display at the NAIAS in Detroit featured cars from European design houses.

Mercedes A 45 AMG goes off-road in the Desert (video)

The Mercedes A 45 AMG struts its stuff in the desert The Mercedes A 45 AMG is now starting to appear in small numbers on UK roads after buyers have been tempted to shell out nearly £40k for the quickest Mercedes A-Class there’s ever been. But it seems Mercedes don’t want us to think of the A 45 AMG as just a very hot hatch for the roads, but as a little hot hatch with some proper off-road pretensions. So they’ve taken the A 45 AMG off to West Africa to show it at play on the dirt tracks and sand dunes, and we have to say that Mercedes 4MATIC four wheel drive does seem to make a decent fist of coping with what’s thrown at it.

Volkswagen Golf Estate Bluemotion stars at the 2013 Frankfurt Motor Show

2013 is the year of the Golf – and at this year’s 2013 Frankfurt Motor Show, there’s even more for Volkswagen to shout about with its super-frugal Golf Estate Bluemotion. The current MK7 VW Golf is the 2013 World Car of the Year, and in 2013 Volkswagen has already released the brilliant Golf GTI, practical Golf Estate and ultra-efficient Golf Bluemotion. And alongside the hot Golf R also here at Frankfurt 2013 is this, the Golf Estate Bluemotion.