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

East meets West at NDE

Nissan opened the doors to its European design studios late last month, part of the Japanese automaker's first ever participation in the London Design Festival events in London, UK. Showcasing the works of 20 designers under the theme of 'East meets West: the cultural crossroads of creativity', the exhibition also included a ‘Pecha Kucha' event with presentations from a further six influential designers. Held in Nissan Design Europe's ground floor conference rooms, the exhibition presented pieces from artists and designers around the world working across various disciplines, including photography, Fine Arts, textiles, product design, fashion and ceramics.

Aston Martin Vanquish Volante opens up at the 2013 Frankfurt Motor Show

Aston Martin has revealed the wonderfully elegant new Vantage Volante here at the 2013 Frankfurt Motor Show. If you thought the Vanquish coupe was a beauty, wait until you see this… It’s the first Aston Martin drop-top Volante to have a body made entirely from carbonfibre – and it is the use of this high tech material that’s enabled Aston to make it as alluring as it is.

Essay: Variable Degrees of Translucency

Car door panels and fenders are generally made of steel, sometimes of aluminum or plastic composites, and you can't see through them. Car windows, on the other hand, are made of a transparent sandwich of glass and plastic - and you can see through them. But in the future there will be variable degrees of transparency: translucent elements where once there were none, traditional window areas that will have opaque elements and graduated progressions from opaque to see-through.