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

Why the Stingray's $52K sticker should come with an asterisk

General Motors resisted the urge to jack up the price on the 2014 Corvette Stingray, despite major enhancements on the seventh-generation sports car. The $51,995* sticker for the coupe, which is expected to hit showrooms by September, is just 1,400 bucks more than the current model, even with its more powerful engine, better fuel economy and vastly improved interior. Why the asterisk?

Bentley Continental GT3-R (2014) first official pics

By Damion Smy First Official Pictures 17 June 2014 12:00 The Bentley Continental GT3-R is the fastest accelerating Bentley ever built. It’s a road-gong version of the car that stormed to victory at Silverstone last month, the Continental GT3, and ticks off 0-62mph in 3.8sec: this is some grand tourer The 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8 that’s just been introduced into the Flying Spur saloon has been wound up to a heady 572bhp, with a stonking 516lb ft combining to make this svelte coupe the fastest accelerating Bentley production car ever built, and a whopping 0.8sec better than the V8 S model. The GT3-R is not the fastest Bentley, though, with its top-end only 170mph (virtually walking pace, really), but the eight-speed ZF gearbox and final drive have been tuned to make this car a corner carver, as opposed to a top-end tourer.

A brief history of the 'Le Mans-style' start

The famous ‘Le Mans start’ Since the race’s inaugural meeting in 1923, tradition dictated a standing start. This later became known as a ‘Le Mans start’, and involved drivers lining their cars up along the pit wall in the order they qualified in. Racers would then have to stand on the opposite side of the track, and when the French Tricolor flag dropped the drivers would have to sprint to their cars, strap themselves in and begin racing.