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

Brabus unveils 850-hp grocery getter

It wouldn't be the Essen Motor Show without German tuning house Brabus introducing its own versions of one or two of Mercedes-Benz cars, with borderline-unbelievable power figures. And this year the Bottrop-based outfit didn't disappoint, rolling out the Brabus 850 6.0 Biturbo based on the 2014 E63 AMG station wagon. For starters, Brabus has increased the V8 engine's displacement from 5,461cc to 5,912cc, installing custom-made forged pistons and a precision balanced billet crankshaft, and replacing the stock turbos with ones of their own design featuring larger compressor units.

SoCal Speed shop wins AMBR award as hod-rodding returns to its roots

In a competition that "took hot-rodding back to its SoCal roots," the SoCal Speed Shop--the entity founded by original hot-rod hero Alex Xydias and now helmed by Pete Chapouris--finally won the AMBR. That's AMBR, as in, America's Most Beautiful Roadster, the most sought-after title in all of hot-rodding and the crowning glory of the Grand National Roadster Show. There is that competition at the Detroit Autorama that hands out the Ridler Award, but that is open to all manner of kustom kars.

Mercedes S-Class Convertible confirmed

The Mercedes S-Class Convertible will be based on the S-Class Coupe (pictured) The new Mercedes S-Class has already arrived, and we’ve also got the new S-Class Coupe (in concept form, at least) with the next variant of the new S-Class now looking likely to be the Mercedes S-Class Convertible. We’ve known since 2011 that Mercedes were planning to chop the top off the S-Class for the first time since the W111 S-Class in the 1960s, but this is the first time anyone from Mercedes has officially confirmed it. Thomas Weber, Mercedes’ product development boss, has told Automotive News that the S-Class Convertible is on the way and will be based on the new S-Class Coupe.