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

Lotus to invest £500 million to build Esprit, Eterne, Elite & Elan. 1900 new jobs

The new Lotus Esprit Dany Bahar – Lotus boss – revealed plans at last year’s Paris Motor Show to turn Lotus in to an East Anglian Aston Martin. Those plans included one car we knew about – the new Lotus Esprit – and a number we didn’t – the Lotus Eterne, Lotus Elite, Lotus Elan and a new Lotus Elite. But the plans seemed to be nothing more than a wish list, and although it was intimated that Lotus owners Proton were going to provide a war chest of £770 million to fund the development, that later appeared to be an intent to provide Lotus with funds to develop a new range of cars, rather than an actual commitment.

Breaking: 2015 Corvette Z06 drops its top for New York auto show

This is the new 2015 Corvette Z06 convertible, the Stingray for owners who want it all, shown a little earlier than we expected. Buyers get the Z06 engine, racing suspension and brakes, and now, for the first time since 1963, they can get that package with a convertible top, as we'll see at the New York auto show. “Until recently it was not possible to create a lightweight, open-roof structure strong enough to cope with the braking, cornering and acceleration of Corvette's top performance models,” said Corvette chief engineer Tadge Juechter.

Next BMW 7-series previewed in Vision Future Luxury concept

BMW has previewed key exterior styling elements, contemporary interior design touches, lightweight carbon fiber construction and innovative lighting systems to be incorporated on next year's sixth-generation 7-series with the unveiling of an arresting new concept car that goes under the name Vision Future Luxury. Revealed at the Beijing auto show, the big new sedan is described as a showcase for future BMW models. But while initial speculation suggested the Vision Future Luxury pointed at a possible 9-series flagship model to be installed at the top of the German car maker's lineup, BMW officials have confirmed the new concept was created more specifically as a pointer to the next 7-series, which is planned to head into North American showrooms late next year.