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

£5000 electric car grants to cut a quarter off EV price

British motorists will qualify for grants lopping a quarter off the price of electric, plug-in hybrid and hydrogen cars – up to a maximum of £5000 discount – the Government confirmed this week. The Office for Low Emissions Vehicles, which launched six months ago, said the new grants would come into force from January 2011 as part of a £230 million low-carbon car incentive programme. Car buyers will qualify for the Plug-In Car Grant from an approved list of low-carbon cars.

Donkey Kong Derby Car wins IDSA Launch Day 2013 competition

Product design consultancy Priority Design's ‘Donkey Kong Derby Car' was the winner of the IDSA Launch Day 2013 competition, earning its team a brand-new 3D printer. The Launch Day competition, which took place at the Industrial Design Society of America conference on 24 August, asked for designs for a tiny 3D-printed car that could be launched down a miniature model of a ski jump before smashing into a crash site. Featuring Mario and Princess from the classic Nintendo series in glorious 32-bit form, the Donkey Kong Derby Car – car being a very loose term, as it has no wheels – was, in fact, a barrel.

McLaren 650S Sprint revealed – debuts at Pebble Beach

The McLaren 650S Sprint arrives to hit the track The arrival of the McLaren 650S in February (and the end of the 12C, unless it’s being replaced by the McLaren 625C) meant, in all probability, that the various hardcore versions of the 12C would be replicated for the 650S. We’ve already has the new McLaren 650S GT3 at Goodwood this year, and now we get the car that fills the gap between the 650S and GT3 version for McLaren owners to take to the track – the McLaren 650S Sprint. The 650S Sprint – which we assume replaces the 12C Sprint – keeps the 650S’s 641bhp V8 but adds a hefty dose of track specific updates to make the Sprint more focused and with sharper responses.