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

McLaren P1: Paris 2012

The McLaren P1 – spiritual successor to the iconic McLaren F1 – has been publicly revealed at the 2012 Paris Motor Show. Still, we do have more details on the P1 concept that McLaren say will turn in to a production car in 2013 before it finds its way in to the garages of wealthy McLaren customers in 2014. The McLaren P1 is designed to be “…the best driver’s car in the world on road and track” according to McLaren, which is setting the bar a bit higher than high, and the concept P1 at Paris is – at least in terms of what we can see – 95 per cent of what the production model will be.

Concept Car of the Week: Ford Mustang RSX Concept (1979)

In the late ‘70s, Ford commissioned carrozzeria Ghia to build a concept car based on the Fox platform to help promote its third generation Mustang. Probably inspired by the Escort RS's success at the World Rally Championship, the concept was dubbed RSX – standing for Rally Sport Experimental – and the Fox platform-based Mustang was modified as a rally car. To improve the handling, the wheelbase from the Fox was shortened by 142mm, the track was widened by around 25mm at the rear while the ride height was increased for off-tarmac stages of European rallies.

McLaren P1 gets an Arctic shakedown (+video)

So McLaren are busy throwing the worst conditions they can at the P1 to make sure it can perform even in the harshest of conditions and be the best driver’s car in the world – even when there’s several feet of ice under its wheels. McLaren has had several XP prototypes of the P1 running round the world’s harshest climates – hot and cold – and have delivered a video of the P1 prototype playing on the ice in the north of Sweden – inside the Arctic Circle – to keep interest in the P1 bubbling along ahead of its dynamic debut in the UK at the Goodwood Festival of Speed in July. Despite its enormous power – 903bhp from a combination of its turbo 3.8 litre V8 and electric motor – the P1 does look composed and capable, even with sub-zero temperatures and a surface that has zero grip.