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

Saab steps up green drive

By Mark Walton Motor Shows 03 June 2007 01:58 Saab goes bio-power crazy Saab is celebrating its 60th anniversary this year with a further push into the very topical biofuels arena, and Geneva showcases two new examples of the Swedes' growing green commitment. First is the new 9-3 Biopower, a full range of saloon, estate and convertible 9-3s, all powered by a 1.8-litre turbocharged engine that's been modified to run on both unleaded and E85 (85 percent ethanol, 15 percent petrol). The mechanical changes include hardened valves and valve seats, and a new stainless steel fuel tank and ancilliaries, adding up to what's expected to be a £600 premium in the showroom over the standard 9-3.

VIDEO: Andrea Zagato and his 1957 Alfa Romeo 1900 SSZ

Our friends over at Petrolicious have gone and produced another beautiful video, this time focusing their lens on Andrea Zagato and one of his father’s creations, the 1957 Alfa Romeo 1900 SSZ. Shot both in Zagato’s Milanese facility and also on the road, Essential Beauty is a visually stunning and also insightful film into the philosophy of a company that, even though now in the hands of the third generation of family ownership, is unwavering in its ideology. If your Italian’s not quite up to scratch, head to YouTube and turn on the English subtitles.

Porsche 911 GT3 R Hybrid (2011) first official pictures

Porsche has released details of its updated 911 GT3 R Hybrid – the 2010 original nearly won last year's Nurburgring 24hr race before (ironically) it retired with petrol engine failure.  The 2011 Porsche 911 GT3 R Hybrid – the lowdown Before this report disappears in a chorus of ‘it looks the same as last year’s one’, let's outline where Porsche’s engineers have been busy. At the unfashionable end of the car remains a 4.0-litre flat-six engine producing approximately 470bhp. Up front are twin electric motors, now producing 75kW of power each (up from 60kW) and combined these give the GT3 R Hybrid a 197bhp electric boost, which can be programmed to activate automatically via the throttle pedal, or manually selected during overtaking. F1-derived hybrid tech for the 911 GT3 R Hybrid Power for the two electric motors doesn't come from batteries, but flywheel accumulator technology from Williams Hybrid Power, an offshoot of the Williams Formula 1 team. The flywheel, encased in a carbonfibre safety cell in the space where the passenger seat would be, spins at up to 40,000rpm and acts as a mechanical energy store for the electric motors. Regenerative braking feeds energy back into the flywheel system – no surprises there, as the technology is derived from Williams' exeprience with Kinetic Energy Recovery Systems (KERS) in F1.