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

BMW releases power kits for the 135i and 335i models

BMW 135i and 335i models can now be retrofitted with two new performance power kits for more muscle and speed. The Version 1 kit has new engine software to optimize performance, while Version 2 tacks on an auxiliary water cooler and radiator fan to keep the engine from getting feverish during extreme driving. With either kit, horsepower increases by 20 hp, to 320 hp, on both models, and torque jumps to 332 lb-ft for models equipped with automatic transmission.

GM's historic Willow Run plant closes

After 68 years of arming the nation and putting America on wheels, the Willow Run manufacturing plant in southeast Michigan closed on Thursday. The 5-million-square-foot powertrain plant, owned by Motors Liquidation Corp., the remnants of the former General Motors Corp., has fallen victim to GM's 2009 bankruptcy and subsequent restructuring. About 300 workers left at the plant will either “retire, transfer to another campus or go on layoff,” said Chris Lee, a spokesman for the reorganized General Motors Co.

Woven in the Fabric of Enthusiasm

Editor's note: This article was first published in the April 30, 2000, issue of AutoWeek. Single chauffeur/single passenger two-door steel/aluminum/canvas/crocodile-embossed hide custom tourer 92 hp @ the shaft, 207 lb-ft @ 1,600 rpm 323.50-cid Chrysler L-head inline-eight Rear-wheel drive Four-speed, clutch-free semiautomatic 0-60 mph: 10 seconds EPA combined mpg: 8+ mpg Base price, None. Built for owner's use Or you could buy: Chitty Chitty Bang Bang II ($1,100,000+) It has been 79 years since Count Louis Zborowski, a Polish nobleman, created the glorious Chitty Chitty Bang Bangs of which only one survives.