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

LA Design Challenge 2010 announced

This year will see the seventh running of the annual LA Auto Show Design Challenge when the industry circus hits the US west coast in November. All participating studios have been tasked to envision a 1000lb (454kg) 2+2 vehicle that is both comfortable and secure while delivering satisfactory driving performance without sacrificing the emotional connection and beautiful styling today's consumers demand. For the first time, design studios from outside the US – from both Germany and Japan – will compete for the prize.

Pink Rolls Royce FAB 1 actually has a pink vinyl ‘Wrap’

But it seems Rolls Royce must have thought much the same, as it turns out that the impressive paint job isn’t actually that at all, but a pink vinyl wrap provided – free of charge – by car vinyl wrap experts Raccoon. Raccoon chose a gloss laminated film to wrap the Ghost to make sure it looked as indistinguishable as possible from a bespoke paint job, and it worked. No one has noticed the pinks Rolls Royce doesn’t have a custom paint job and that’s down to Raccoon taking extreme care to carefully wrap not just the outside panels, but also stuff like door sills and any areas that might otherwise give the game away.

New life for Lincoln from the ashes of Mercury

The demise of Mercury has one potentially positive outcome for the car world: a revitalization of Lincoln. News of Mercury's pending closure was paired with Ford's plans to boost Lincoln's lineup. Six new or significantly refreshed products will arrive in the next four years, and a seventh, the restyled MKX, is preparing for launch.