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

McLaren MP4-12C: The build begins +video

First McLaren MP4-12C being built You could be forgiven for thinking that McLaren had already started building their Ferrari 458 challenging car – the McLaren MP4-12C. After all, it’s been turning up all over the place for at least a year, and we even had a good view of the Volcano Orange MP4-12C from Goodwood as it passed us en-route to strut its stuff up the Goodwood Hillclimb last year. But the cars we’ve seen so far – even the Volcano Orange MP4-12C from Goodwood – were prototypes; McLaren’s running test beds for tweaking and refining the MP4-12C before the first cars reach customers this year.

There's a 2015 Ford Mustang convertible on the way, too

Almost immediately after the Ford Mustang debuted, buyers could choose from three body styles -- a hardtop, a rag-top convertible and a fastback (which actually came out a few months later than the hardtop and convertible). We already knew that the 2015 Mustang will arrive as a fastback (sorry, notchback partisans), but Ford has just announced that a drop-top version is also in the works. Pictures of the convertible sport a shiny "5.0" badge on the side and and chrome "GT" badge on the back, but we assume all the standard engines -- the 5.0-liter V8, 3.7-liter V6 and that new 2.3-liter EcoBoost turbo-four -- will be offered.

Help fund Driving Dreams – a documentary film dedicated to the masters of Italian car design

Italian car designs of the 1950s, 60s and 70s are a fascination and inspiration to many – an era where some of the most skilled designers, craftsmen and engineers collaborated to reach what many believe a zenith. But while we may know everything there is about the cars of this period, the men who created them remain enigmatic largely due to their collective modesty. Daniel Tomičić and Gianluca Migliarotti are hoping to change this however, by creating a documentary film that tracks down the key players from the time.