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

The Britalian Job: MINI remakes the Italian Job for London 2012

MINI has done a remake of the Italian Job – dubbed the ‘Britalian Job – to celebrate the London 2012 Olympics. MINI always turns up interesting promo videos (not always good, but always interesting) so with BMW sponsoring the London 2012 Olympics it’s no surprise they’ve had their camcorders out. The result is something MINI are calling the ‘Britalian Job’, an homage to the classic 1960s Italian Job with the original Mini and starring Michael Caine and Noel Coward (and Benny Hill), although in truth it’s more like an homage to the later version with Charlize Theron.

One Lap of the Web: Let's visit Amelia Island in a short bus camper

-- Ken Kesey and friends spent most of the countercultural 1960s driving across the country in a 1939 International Harvester school bus painted in psychedelic colors. Portland, Maine architect Will Winkelman might do less drugs (we don't know), but the 1959 Chevrolet Viking short bus he designed might fit Kesey and his Merry Pranksters, especially if you stacked them head-to-toe. For his client, Winkelman designed a Moroccan theme of colorful patterns and textures across the curtains and twin beds, beaded light fixtures and wood paneling everywhere, approaching the project as one might approach boat-building or a particularly run-down Detroit "fixer-upper." The result has plumbing, power, an olive-drab paint scheme that blends into the New England woods, and the overall sense of a guest bedroom that you can escape in whenever you tire of your host's company.

London Black Cab – another Chinese Takeaway

London Black Cab - now the Beijing Black Cab Tower Bridge; Palace of Westminster; Red Double Decker Bus; Black Cab. Anyone, anywhere in the world, will immediately think of London if they see an image of any of these iconic symbols of our capital city. But at least one of these symbols of London – the Black Cab –  is in a steep decline.