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

Design Contest: LA Design Challenge 2008

The entrants for the fifth annual Design Challenge, part of the Design Los Angeles automobile designers' conference, have now been announced. Nine Southern California automotive design studios - including Audi, BMW, GM, Honda, Mazda, Mitsubishi, Mercedes-Benz, Toyota and Volkswagen - have been pitted against one another and asked to develop a concept which best answers a brief entitled 'Motorsports in 2025'. "Automotive designers have always been fascinated with motorsports and this year's Design Challenge has provided them with the opportunity to use their creative talent to look at these cars with new eyes, using innovative technologies and approaches," said Chuck Pelly, director of Design Los Angeles and partner in The Design Academy, Inc.

Fisker Karma S concept

Fisker Automotive revealed the newest addition to its lineup at NAIAS 2009, exactly a year after the independent carmaker unveiled its first concept vehicle, the Karma. Called the Karma S concept, the four-seat convertible was designed by Henrik Fisker with input from a newly assembled design team taken on to help bring the Karma sedan to production. The design of the S is likely to make it to the showroom almost unchanged.

Tesla Model S hits the UK second-hand market – at a premium

You can have a Tesla Model S now, but it’ll cost you The Tesla Model S is now, finally, starting to the UK in RHD, and it offers, for the first time, an electric powertrain that comes very close to offering the same convenience in use as a normal ICE car. True, it’s a far from cheap car to buy – prices start from around £50k and go up to around £100k if you throw caution to the wind and spec up almost everything on the Model S options list. But despite the steep prices, the Model S can be something of a bargain, especially if you’re a business user.