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

Schumacher takes pole in Monaco – but starts sixth

Schumacher was quickest in Monaco qualifying Turn the clock back a day or two at the 2012 Monaco Grand Prix and all the clever money would have been on Lotus dominating proceedings. But 48 hours is a long time in a 2012 season of tyres that dictate performance seemingly based on which way the wind’s blowing. So instead of Lotus dominating proceedings we had Mercedes qualifying strongly, with Michael Schumacher taking pole and team mate Nico Rosberg in third.

Skoda MissionL Concept revealed – the Skoda Lauretta, perhaps?

Skoda MissionL Concept - destined to be the Skoda Lauretta Skoda is on a mission to push its sales through the roof in the next year or seven – aiming for 1.5 million sales, no less, by 2018 –  and part of that strategy is to fill the gap in its range between the Fabia and Octavia. So it’s a good thing the Skoda MissionL Concept fits the bill. Not that we have a great deal to go on with the MissionL Concept, as all Skoda have done so far is send us a short press release and the teaser photo above (which was a lot darker until we sent it through Photoshop).

Watch Tesla Model S testing new titanium armor

In a missive signed by Elon Musk himself, Tesla announced it would be adding titanium plates and aluminum deflectors to all new Model S sedans and offering free retrofits for the 20,000 or so existing EVs. The company earlier offered an over-the-air software update to raise the ground clearance of the Model S so the car would be more likely to clear dangerous road debris. The actions were in response to well-publicized fires in the electric luxury sedans.