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

EBay exotic: 1974 Alfa Romeo Berlina 2000

I'm a sucker for a four-door Alfa, and this bright red Berlina 2000 posted by our friends at Bring a Trailer has yours truly all aflutter this morning. Formerly owned by an Alfa Romeo employee in the United States, this car shows just a tick less than 89,000 original miles and wears fresh paint as of a few years ago. The seller, himself an Alfisti, claims that the gauges and mechanicals are all in correct working order, and the original factory air conditioning apparently operates as well as it did when new--which likely isn't very well, but still, it makes an interesting conversation piece.

Ah, to be in Paris . . .

Well, I'm bummed. The Paris motor show press days are next week, and I'm not going. That's right; while my colleagues are cavorting in one of the world's great cities, I'll be here in the Paris of the Midwest, holding down the proverbial fort.

2013 facelift for BMW Z4 & new Z4 M35i

BMW are planning to facelift the Z4 for 2013 and add a new M Performance model – the BMW Z4 M35i – to replace the Z4 sDrive35iS. Four years since the current BMW Z4 was launched at the Detroit Motor Show in January 2009, it looks like BMW’s roadster is getting a facelift to keep it fresh, and a new M Performance model – the BMW Z4 M35iS. Changes to the 2013 Z4 are likely to be modest, with the usual facelift fare of new bumpers, new lights, new alloys, titivated ‘more upmarket’ interior and tweaks to the engines to offer more power with better economy and lower emissions.