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

Lotus to create 100 new jobs (2013)

Lotus is bouncing back from the five-car plan debacle that saw its CEO Dany Bahar dismissed for professional misconduct, and an ambitious plot to launch a Porsche-slaying five-car range go up in smoke without so much a test mule spy shot. The Norfolk-based outfit has announced today the creation of 103 new jobs to meet rising demand not just for its cars, but the brand’s legendary car set-up skills too. It follows a £100m investment from parent DRB-HICOM earlier in 2013.

BMW 7-series models hit by recall

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has issued a recall of 45,500 BMW 7-series sedans in the 2005-2008 model year range. The recall, which has its origins in a NHTSA investigation initiated in August 2011, addresses a software malfunction that may cause vehicles to roll away when parked. A glitch in the BMW Comfort Access keyless-entry and ignition system is responsible for the problem.

Umea Olme Spyder project

While Swedish automaker Saab was going through tumultuous times and Geely was in the process of buying Volvo from Ford, first year MA students in Transportation Design at Sweden's Umea Institute of Design were busy creating a one-off roadster for an independent car maker: the Olme Spyder. Created in collaboration with Ove Bengtsson, an engineer with a personal passion for building his own vehicles, the students were asked to design their own interpretation of a progressive and innovative roadster, developing the concept from a sketch into a full-scale model. Based on an Opel Agila donor car, the concept's 650kg steel monocoque chassis was created by Bengtsson himself to accommodate a mid-mounted engine.