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

CAR tech: how much F1 is in the McLaren P1?

We're forever told racing tech makes for better road cars, but is that true, even in the case of the £866,000 McLaren P1? CAR tech looks at the similarities between Jenson Button's weekend racer and McLaren's hybrid supercar: Gives you wings A Formula One car wins or loses by its aero package – and the P1’s a true aero car with a mighty set-up. It has the highest amount of downforce of any road car on sale – so you couldn’t get closer to F1 with number plates if you tried.

Salon Privé 2011: Night Shift

Salon Prive does a Night Shift for the Pommery Picnic It may be a bit of an exagerration to say that Salon Privé – one of our favourite ‘Car’ outings – is going to include a night shift in 2011 – but almost. Salon Prive’s move from the Hurlingham in Chelsea out to the less central – but more hospitable – Duke of Northumberland’s gaff at Syon Park means there’s room to expand the event, so we’re getting treated to the ‘Pommery Picnic’ on the Friday evening – 7pm ’til 11pm. As we never fail to mention when we bang on about Salon Prive, it’s just like a Garden Party in a wealthy friend’s house where he just happens to have littered the grounds with the world’s greatest cars.

First Sight: Mercedes-Benz Concept Style Coupe

The third installment of Mercedes-Benz's ‘small' car family will receive its global preview with a close-to-production concept set to debut at the Beijing motor show next week, but Car Design News has gained an early peek of the official images and details. The Concept Style Coupe heralds the much-vaunted ‘mini-CLS' compact four-door coupe production car (rumored to be dubbed BLS or CLA) that's slated to go on sale in the second half of 2013. It's based on the same new platform – called MFA for ‘Mercedes Front-wheel drive Architecture' – that has already spawned the new A- and B-Class cars.