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

What the 2015 Corvette ZR1 could look like

Buyers are lining up to put the new 2014 Chevrolet Corvette in their garages, but we're already looking ahead to the hopped-up versions Chevrolet is likely to unveil down the road. There will be a new Z06, of course, but we're talking about the Stingray version of the beastly, supercharged Corvette ZR1. Thanks to a pair of renderings, we can imagine what the new ZR1, which will likely be a 2015 or 2016 model year vehicle, might look like.

Maserati Levante SUV won't be imported from Detroit after all

For years, we've been hearing that the upcoming Maserati Levante SUV -- which debuted as the Maserati Kubang -- would be built at Chrysler's Jefferson North Assembly Plant in Detroit. The prospect of a high-dollar luxury crossover coming out of the gritty Motor City was intriguing, but the scheme made a certain sense -- the Levante is built on the same platform as the Jeep Grand Cherokee. Unfortunately, it's not gonna happen.

Old is new again: Will a floor-hinged throttle pedal be in your future?

If you think that every little nut, bolt, switch, gear or widget in your new car wasn't scrutinized by a team of highly educated, overworked car geeks (read: engineers), think again. A couple of recent conversations with automotive engineers confirmed that virtually nothing that goes into a car today is taken for granted. During the recent Pebble Beach weekend, I had the pleasure of spending time with an engineer for Jaguar, and the subject turned to materials used for various switches in the cabin.