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

Rolls-Royce bolsters custom-car operation to meet higher demand

Rolls-Royce is expanding its "Bespoke" customization enterprise to keep up with an influx of buyers wishing to determine the final strokes on their vehicular masterpieces. The British luxury-car manufacturer will double the headcount for its Bespoke team by the end of the year. More than 50 designers, engineers and project managers will run the operation to meet growing customer demand.

The thinking man’s M3: Alpina D3 Bi-Turbo is world’s fastest diesel production car

German tuning firm Alpina has been tweaking BMWs since it started back in 1965 – in fact, it helped BMW develop the legendary 3.0 CSL, so it seems it knows its onions. However, its latest effort is something a little different. Not quite a conventional performance car, the 2013 Alpina D3 Bi-Turbo is actually the world’s fastest diesel production car, according to the firm.

Driven: Range Rover Evoque

As Sam Livingstone opines in his review of the latest Porsche 911, we are in a period of car design consolidation, with the new 911 the ultimate expression of a slightly suffocating trend. Yet every so often, a vehicle appears that breaks these rules and – through a combination of factors that can be difficult to quantify – captures the imagination, becoming a symbol of the times and an overnight market success. Such vehicles tend to emerge once a decade or so, yet the late 90s and early noughties were extraordinary for giving birth to three – the Ford Ka of '96, Audi TT of '98 and Mini of '01.