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

Lexus Fashion Workshop designers make car parts fashionable

Lexus is moving from the road to the runway with a new ad campaign set to appear in Vogue magazine. As part of the Lexus Fashion Workshop, the carmaker challenged four fashion designers to create wearable pieces using materials from a dismantled Lexus CT hybrid. The challenge is "elevating the notion of recycling to an art form," according to Lexus, which says the CT hybrid is 90 percent recyclable.

Driven: BMW 5 Series GT

It's an illustration of the place London has become that it's typically possible to park brand new or exotic cars on an average street and be met with studied indifference by the average passer by. So why, during a week of driving a BMW 5 Series GT, were we made to feel so conspicuous? Every time we parked in a busy area, at least one stranger felt the need to remark, usually to tell us how ugly they thought it was.

Volvo V40 Cross Country (2012) first official pictures

Volvo is beefing up the V40 hatch with the new V40 Cross Country - a rough 'n' ready soft-roader to be shown at the 2012 Paris motor show. Ring any bells? Cast your mind back to 1997 and the release of the V70 Cross Country, to which the V40 Cross Country owes its existence. Volvo V40 Cross Country: 'all-road' performance The V40 Cross Country comes in front- or all-wheel drive formats, topped by the 2.5-litre T5 that’ll churn out 250bhp and pass 0-60mph in six seconds. A 40mm ride height increase is likely to limit on-road performance, but should come in handy should you need to traverse any troublesome countryside on the school run.