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

Mercedes GLA – the new A Class SUV/Crossover – caught on video

The small Mercedes SUV / Crossover based on the new A Class – the Mercedes GLA – has been caught on video out testing. Mercedes already has a hit on its hands with the new A Class (it’s sold 100,000 already) but there are more variants of the new A Class to come including the new CLA – the baby CLS – and the car we have here – the Mercedes GLA SUV / Crossover. Based on the same platform as the new A Class, the GLA is a new Mercedes niche aimed at the growing compact SUV market, just like the new Volvo V40 Cross Country.

Nissan backs radical DeltaWing racecar program

Nissan has announced its involvement in a radical new motorsport project, dubbed the DeltaWing, which will race at the Le Mans 24 Hours this summer using Nissan power. The car is the work of Ben Bowlby who originally designed the car as a proposal for the 2012 IndyCar racer, which has since found the attention of Nissan after its rejection by the American race championship. The headlines of the design are that it's half the weight and has half the aerodynamic drag of a conventional racer and is therefore far more efficient.

One Lap of the Web: Car creatures of the Hollywood Hills

-- Jay Leno, presumably back from filming McQueen's Jaguar XKSS, now places his chin atop the front seat of a 1925 Doble E-20, which, being steam-powered, fulfills Leno's interpretation of alt-fuel. Abner Doble built his first steam car while he was still in high school, and by 1915 the Doble Detroit had set new standards of reliability, convenience, noiselessness, and speed -- in 1925, Howard Hughes drove Leno's Model E to 132 mph. -- Los Angeles, car culture capital of the world, has its fair share of hipsters, eccentrics, airheads and Chrysler LeBarons.