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

SEMA 2008 show report: Pontiac G8 and Solstice

By Ben Whitworth Motor Shows 07 November 2008 10:01 According to Pontiac, its G8 GXP Street, G8 ST and Solstice GXP concepts at the SEMA show ‘raise the performance bar even higher, taking style and sportiness to the highest levels’. Time to don your oxygen masks as we scale the dizzy heights of Pontiac’s performance peaks. While the standard GXP isn’t short of grunt with a 6.2-litre 415bhp V8 under the bonnet, the Street swings with a hefty 7.4-litre punch that’s good for 638bhp and 600lb ft of torque.

One in five drivers update Facebook on the move

One in five drivers have updated their Facebook status while behind the wheel of a car. That’s according to the latest survey by temporary car insurance specialist Dayinsure. On Bing: see pictures of people on the phone when driving Find out how much a car with hands-free costs on Auto Trader Meanwhile over half of respondents admitted to using a phone while driving and 58% have taken photographs.

Aston Martin DB9 4WD Plug-in Hybrid revealed by Bosch (video)

Bosch has built a plug-in hybrid Aston Martin DB9 We’ve always believed one of the best uses for hybrid powertrains is to provide extra performance on high-end cars, something Bosh has demonstrated by fitting the Aston Martin DB9 with a hybrid setup. The hybrid DB9 hasn’t been built to preview a production hybrid DB9 (although it probably should) but to demonstrate what Bosch can do with an existing car. Aston Martin donated the DB9 to Bosch for the hybrid project, and Bosh has fitted the DB9 with three electric motors – one at each front wheel and one next to the Aston’s V12 – which gives the DB9 something in the region of an extra 250bhp to play with.