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

SEMA 2008 show report: Volkswagen Passat CC

By Ben Whitworth Motor Shows 07 November 2008 09:00 Volkswagen’s sobriety took a back seat at the SEMA show in Las Vegas this week – it pulled the covers off a pair of muscle-bound Passat CCs, a racy 295bhp Tiguan and a grunty diesel Jetta aimed at cajoling the American market into turning its back on gasoline. The unambiguously named Performance CC – designed by Volkswagen’s California-based design centre – gets a shot in the arm from a three-stage turbo boost to its 2.0-litre TSI engine. In Eco mode you get a modest 222bhp and 236 lb ft of torque, GT mode hikes those outputs to 252bhp and 268 lbs ft, while the Full Power stage unleashes 311bhp and 313 lb ft.

Michelin Challenge Design 2013 competition deadline next Friday

The Michelin Challenge Design 2013 competition deadline is fast approaching – you only have until 1 June to submit your designs. The theme of this year's competition is ‘HALF! Lightweight with a Passion', with entrants being asked to explore lightweight vehicle development by designing a family vehicle for four to six people.  The design has to adhere to consumers' safety and comfort needs as well as usability on current road infrastructure and production feasibility using modern technology, materials, powertrain solutions or manufacturing solutions.

Maserati GranCabrio Sport arrives

Maserati GranCabrio Sport arrives in the UK Actually, the Maserati GranCabrio Sport arrived a few months back at the Geneva Motor Show, but it’s now washed up on our shores – just too late to enjoy the miserable summer with the rest of us by the time the first UK customer cars actually arrive in October. The main news, apart from the GranCabrio actually being for sale in the UK, is that the price is perhaps not quite as high as we’d expected. When Maserati revealed the GranCabrio Sport at Geneva we did speculate it would end up being north of £100k.