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

Ducati-powered Volkswagen XL1 in the works, may be called XLR

Volkswagen is pushing ahead with plans to boost the performance of its two-seat XL1 with a highly strung two-cylinder gas engine sourced from the Ducati 1199 Panigale superbike, high-ranking insiders at the German car maker have confirmed. Speaking on the sidelines of the unveiling of the new e-Golf in Wolfsburg, Germany this week, Volkswagen's head of R & D Hans-Jakob Neusser revealed development of the Ducati-engined XL1 is well underway. “Yes, we are working on it internally.

Ford Shelby GT500 Cobra with 850hp pays tribute to Carroll Shelby

‘Friends of Carroll Shelby’ pay tribute to the man with an 850hp Ford Shelby GT500 Cobra, finished in Guardsman Blue/Wimbledon White stripe paint. Carroll Shelby – an man who understood performance cars perhaps better than any other American – died in May of this year, aged 89, after a life lived to the full. As a fitting tribute to the man who gave Ford the sort of performance cars they could never have dreamt of building, a very special Ford Shelby GT500 Cobra has been built to remember him by ‘The Friends of Carroll Shelby’.

Off the line: Fun cars and social responsibility Autoweek op-ed stands the test of time

It's been almost 21 years to the day that Autoweek printed Matt DeLorenzo's column “Off the Line: There's room for fast, fun cars in diet of social responsibility.” And in those two decades plus, not much has changed except the vehicles themselves. For example, sports cars like the Bugatti Veyron and Pagani Huayra have astronomically high performance and safety levels; similarly, sport-utility vehicles that haul entire families (and most of their earthly possessions) achieve fuel economy similar to that of 1970s midsize sedans. To read all of DeLorenzo's thoughts and his case for automobiles, click the links to download the article.