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

Audi puts a price on its 2012 V8 S Models – S6, S7 & S8

2012 Audi S8 - costs £78k Audi’s new V8 – shared with Bentley – arrives in the UK in the guise of the 2012 models of the S6, S7 & S8. Prices from £53,995 to £77,900. Audi, just as most other car makers are doing, is down-sizing its cylinder count and upping its reliance on forced induction as it seeks to cut emissions and improve fuel economy (well, official figures, anyway), which has meant the end of the 5.2 litre V10 in its ‘S’ models.

VW Polo R WRC (2011): Volkswagen enters the WRC

This be-spoilered supermini is the new VW Polo R WRC, Volkwagen’s entry into the 2013 FIA World Rally Championship. Unveiled today in Sardinia ahead of Rally d'Italia Sardegna, it's a 300bhp, four-wheel drive hot hatch that's going to take on Ford, Citroen et al on the world's toughest mud, gravel and snow Special Stages. VW Polo R WRC, huh?

One Lap of the Web: The Talented Mr. Honda, electric airplanes and Viper-powered Jensens

We spend a lot of time on the Internet -- pretty much whenever we're not driving, writing about or working on cars. Since there's more out there than we'd ever be able to cover, here's our daily digest of car stuff on the Web you may not otherwise have heard about. -- A blog post at Hemmings called our attention to this fascinating profile of Soichiro Honda, which was originally printed in the June 16, 1963 edition of the British newspaper The Observer.