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

U.S. safety officials deny airbag exemption for the Pagani Huayra

U.S. safety officials have shot down Italian supercar maker Pagani's request that the Huayra coupe be exempted from needing advanced airbags--a move that means Pagani can't legally sell the car in the States. Safety rules require that all new cars sold in the United States be equipped with airbags that can automatically adjust deployment force based on the height and weight of the seat occupant.

Ken Okuyama Design heads to Tokyo with new road racer [w/video]

Ken Okuyama Design is heading to the Tokyo motor show with what promises to be a real treat of a two-seat sports car. The Kode9 coupé, as teased in a behind-the-scenes video, follows on from the Kode7 first shown in 2008 and, if the video is any indication, this voluminous, 1960s-inspired creation will continue that car's attention to delightful detail. And who doesn't love a car with a vertical tail fin?

One Lap of the Web: We invented the Miata!

-- Sochi or bust! Is there anything more Russian than driving a Lada Niva to the Winter Olympics? (Flagrant corruption, perhaps.) Documentary producer Vlad Ketkovich calls the venerable Niva "the closest thing to an automotive version of the Russian soul," and we'd wager that the Niva belongs in quintessential Russian-ness next to the Bolshoi Ballet and the movie "Russian Ark." (Or "Ninth Company," if your attention span has been blown to bits.) -- A gorgeous Alfa Romeo ventures into the woods by itself.