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

The Bloodhound SuperSonic Car is a rocket-powered land missle

The ambitious British Bloodhound SuperSonic Car project took a significant step forward in the quest to raise the world's land speed record to 1,000 mph when the machine's main power unit—a spectacularly forceful rocket engine—was successfully test fired Oct. 3. The rocket is believed to be the largest designed in Europe in decades, and its 185-decible noise level is said to be many times louder than a Boeing 747 during takeoff.

BMW Concept 5-series ActiveHybrid (2010)

By Tim Pollard First Official Pictures 28 February 2010 06:30 BMW's new 5-series will quickly spawn a petrol-electric hybrid – as this Geneva motor show 2010 concept car proves. It'll be the third BMW hybrid car in production, after the ActiveHybrid X6 and ActiveHybrid 7. Like the part-electrified 7-series, the Concept 5-series ActiveHybrid uses a straight six petrol engine with twin turbos and an eight-speed auto with a hybrid module built in.How clean is the new BMW Concept 5-series ActiveHybrid?Munich says both fuel consumption and CO2 emissions are improved by 10% and a zero-emissions EV mode is available, as the hybrid 5 is a full hybrid.

Porsche announces new Weissach design center and wind tunnel

Porsche is to invest around €150m into its Weissach development facility, including a new design center. The plans also include an electronics integration department and a state-of-the art, on-site wind tunnel, which is hoped will allow the company to realize an holistic approach to efficient design, with a strong focus on aerodynamics. When we spoke with head of Porsche design, Michael Mauer, at this year's Paris motor show, he also alluded to the fact that the Volkswagen Group's – and, more specifically, Walter de'Silva's – recent influence on the German manufacturer was shifting its attitudes: "The Volkswagen Group has a very good understanding of how much freedom a brand needs to keep its characteristics and with [Walter] as 'conductor', I feel a lot of support with design issues within the company," explained Mauer.