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

Is the McLaren P1 order book about to close?

We’re hearing that McLaren is ready to close the order book for their P1 supercar before the specification – or the car – have been fully revealed. We’ve had the reveal of the P1 Concept – and seen it floating round the world as McLaren drum up potential customers with enormous bottomless pockets – and we’ve even seen the P1 on the move as McLaren shake down the development version of the P1. But so far we haven’t had the full specs of the P1 revealed and, as far as we can tell, McLaren hasn’t even divulged the full details of the P1′s power and performance to potential customers – no matter how wealthy they are.

Smart car inventor Nicolas Hayek dies

Nicolas Hayek, the engineer and industrialist who founded the Swiss watch company Swatch and brought the world the Smart car, died on June 28 of heart failure at his office in Switzerland. He was 82. Hayek saved the Swiss watch industry from lower-priced Asian competition in the early 1980s by offering colorful, inexpensive Swatch timepieces that he backed with equally colorful marketing.

Fisker Karma S concept

Fisker Automotive revealed the newest addition to its lineup at NAIAS 2009, exactly a year after the independent carmaker unveiled its first concept vehicle, the Karma. Called the Karma S concept, the four-seat convertible was designed by Henrik Fisker with input from a newly assembled design team taken on to help bring the Karma sedan to production. The design of the S is likely to make it to the showroom almost unchanged.