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.

Mini John Cooper Works GP (2012) full specs and stats

A cynical marketing exercise, or Mini getting back to its pocket rocket best? Say what you like about the new (deep breath) Mini John Cooper Works GP, but there's no arguing with its raw specification. With slightly more power (up to 215bhp from 208bhp in the standard JCW), it's the fastest Mini yet.

New Jaguar XJR UK debut next week

The New Jaguar XJR (pictured) gets its UK debut at Moto Expo 2013 Lovers of powerful XJs were delighted discover that a new Jaguar XJR, which debuted at the New York Auto Show in April, will finally give them a properly sporty XJ, rather than the somewhat compromised SuperSport version of the current XJ with the 5.0 litre Supercharged engine. Jaguar has kept faith with the history of the XJR by giving the new model a subtle ‘Sporty’ makeover with only gentle go-faster bits – like ‘R’ badges, new alloys, quad tailpipes, small boot spoiler, front splitter and a subtle body kit – so the new XJR looks purposeful, rather than looking like its been dipped in a Halfords bargain bucket. The real changes come under the skin, with the new XJR getting the 542bhp version of the 5.0 litre supercharged engine, tweaked dampers and spring rates, refined active diff and DSC and new shift patterns for the 8-speed auto box.