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

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.

Amelia Island concours teases headliner

Usually teaser shots hint at the future, but this one is a glimpse of the past--and of one of headliners of the 2010 Amelia Island Concours d'Elegance. A shot was released this week of an aluminum body before restoration. It's the skin of a 1940s roadster that will be one of the spotlight cars at the March 12-14 concours in Florida.

Alfa Romeo’s future master plan

Alfa Romeo Alfa Romeo’s thrilling new 4C sports car "marks a line in the sand" for the Italian firm, according to head of Alfa Romeo Europe, Louis-Carl Vignon. Speaking to MSN Cars at the launch of the 4C, the Alfa exec confirmed the marque’s future products will be inspired by its new halo model, meaning we’ll see more high-tech, efficient and performance-focused Alfa Romeo’s in the near future. On Bing: see pictures of the Alfa Romeo 4C Alfa Romeo 4C review A new off-roader will make up the heart of the Alfa Romeo range Vignon also outlined that further variants of the 4C are possible, potentially including an open-top spider version, as well as a higher-powered, more hardcore model.