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

Aston Martin V12 Vantage roadster photos--leaked or Photoshopped?

A handful of photos leaked out on Monday showing what appears to be the new Aston Martin V12 Vantage roadster. They look legit to us, but, upon very close inspection, some of the details don't appear to be quite right. But, we're not Photoshop experts and the irregularities could be the result of standard press photo retouching.

Michael Mauer appointed head of design at Porsche

Porsche AG has anounced the appointment of Michael Mauer to take over as chief designer from Harm Lagaay, who will retire on July 1 after 15 years in the post. Michael Mauer, 41, studied automobile design at Pforzheim University, and started his career at Mercedes-Benz. In 1989, he was appointed design project leader for the Mercedes V Class models, and was in charge of design work for the first SLK model generation.

Hyundai i30 3-Door looks good: Paris 2012

The public debut of the slightly racy looking Hyundai i30 3-Door at the Paris 2012 shows it to be a convincing looking car. Sleeker and more sporty looking than its five door sibling, the 3-door i30 (we’ve said it before, it should be i30 Coupe) offers all the well-built, well thought out and decent looks of the 5-door version, but with a bit more panache. What it’s crying out for, though, is something a bit more interesting under the bonnet and the option of some nice alloys and a few subtle body modifications; perhaps a small spoiler at the back, some subtly bigger sills, more butch bumpers and a small ride height drop?