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

New Lotus Esprit still on schedule

The new Lotus Esprit - on schedule for launch in 2011 or 2012 The next Elise will probably be a development of the existing car, rather than anything radical and new. But the Esprit will be an all new V8 based on the new Evora chassis. It will be longer and wider than the Evora, but will still feature a mid-mounted engine and, in all probability, come as a convertible in time.

Tomorrow's world: lightweight carbon composites

Once all the dust settles on The Great Battery Farce (the idea that the world's ills will be taken care of by sticking a battery in everything that moves and charging it up) we may eventually face up to the fact that the best way to move something around more economically, is to move less of it. That means making things lighter, a lot lighter. Car makers are working on it and manufacturers like Audi and Jaguar have already become masters in bringing aluminium to the mass production.

Volkswagen iBeetle takes iPhone integration to another level

When we’re all walking round with Smartphones that possess the sort of computing power only a major desktop could offer just a few years ago, it makes sense for car makers to tap in to that power to control functionality and Infotainment in their cars. Which is why Volkswagen has rolled out the iBeetle at this week’s Shanghai Motor Show with a level of integration with Smartphones from Apple, and that previews a roll-out of Apple integration from VW, offering far more functionality and control than we’ve seen before. Or at least that’s the VW claim.