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

BMW M3 Convertible (2008): first official pictures

By Stephen Dobie First Official Pictures 18 January 2008 15:08 The M3 family has swelled further with BMW’s announcement of the new convertible version - and a twin-clutch gearbox. This is the first M3 with a folding metal hardtop, and the first with BMW's new transmission. It's a new seven-speed gearbox called M DCT gearbox – a double-clutch affair (like VW's seven-speed DSG) allowing near-instant changes, with little drop in power.

Guinness returns fastest production car world record to Bugatti

The Bugatti Veyron Super Sport is back as the “Fastest Production Car” after Guinness World Records looked deeper into the claim, and decided that Bugatti's eliminating the speed limiter in order to set a record did not bar the vehicle from holding the title. “The focus of the review was with respect to what may constitute a modification to a car's standard specification,” said Guinness in a statement. “Having evaluated all the necessary information, Guinness World Records is now satisfied that a change to the speed limiter does not alter the fundamental design of the car or its engine.” Now the company owns both the open- and closed-top speed records with the Veyron Grand Sport Vitesse and the Veyron Super Sport.

BMW set to go front-wheel drive

BMW chairman Norbert Reithofer has confirmed that the German carmaker will introduce a new front-wheel-drive entry-level model positioned and priced below the existing 1-series as part of plans to help increase part sharing and to bolster the potential for production savings between the BMW and Mini brands, thus bringing an end to the era of rear- and four-wheel-drive-only BMW models. Speaking to AutoWeek at the Geneva motor show, Reithofer said internal BMW studies revealed that despite the downturn in the world's economy, there was continued demand for what he described as "premium vehicles" in the small-car class, before officially acknowledging plans that will see BMW produce a rival to the recently unveiled Audi A1 and a new Smart Forfour presently under development at Mercedes-Benz. "We will be extending the BMW and Mini brands into the small-car segment with new models and variants," he said.