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

Could Michelin’s Active Wheel truly transform the car?

Cars today have evolved and been refined to an extraordinary degree, but carmakers – and car designers – are still always looking for ‘the next big thing'. Yet despite a myriad of recent technical innovations, ask the man on the street what is the problem with cars of today, and he'll likely reply along the lines of "they all look the same". Mass production processes, packaging requirements and safety and regulatory constraints are just a few of the reasons why it is hard to make a car that looks truly different.

One Lap of the Web: Remembering the dearly departed

-- With news that Toyota is leaving the great state of California for the greater (by landmass, anyway; your own opinion may vary) state of Texas, it's worth reminding ourselves that Toyota in America started as one lonely building on 6000 Hollywood Blvd., having taken over a former Rambler dealership. (The site is still a successful Toyota dealership.) That first year of sales in 1958 saw 287 Toyopet Crowns and one Land Cruiser sold -- more as curiosities than as practical transportation, we'd wager. -- At any rate, Toyota's move from California to Texas is moving from "one of the most eco-friendly states in the union," according to Ward's Auto, "to the U.S.’s equivalent of China." -- Ten years ago today, the last Oldsmobile rolled off the line at Lansing Car Assembly.

2012 Porsche 911 undisguised (almost) on Video

2012 Porsche 911 undisguised - bar the lights It’s quite hard to find anything new to report about the 2012 Porsche 911 – at least on how it looks – when Porsche themselves release ‘spy’ video of the new 911. But this 911 video shows more. A sharp-eyed – and well-prepared – Porsche fan spotted the brown (Topaz Brown Metallic by the look – trendy colour) 911 at a petrol station in Suttgart and managed to grab some half-decent footage.