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

Porsche 911 GT3 R Hybrid (2011) first official pictures

Porsche has released details of its updated 911 GT3 R Hybrid – the 2010 original nearly won last year's Nurburgring 24hr race before (ironically) it retired with petrol engine failure.  The 2011 Porsche 911 GT3 R Hybrid – the lowdown Before this report disappears in a chorus of ‘it looks the same as last year’s one’, let's outline where Porsche’s engineers have been busy. At the unfashionable end of the car remains a 4.0-litre flat-six engine producing approximately 470bhp. Up front are twin electric motors, now producing 75kW of power each (up from 60kW) and combined these give the GT3 R Hybrid a 197bhp electric boost, which can be programmed to activate automatically via the throttle pedal, or manually selected during overtaking. F1-derived hybrid tech for the 911 GT3 R Hybrid Power for the two electric motors doesn't come from batteries, but flywheel accumulator technology from Williams Hybrid Power, an offshoot of the Williams Formula 1 team. The flywheel, encased in a carbonfibre safety cell in the space where the passenger seat would be, spins at up to 40,000rpm and acts as a mechanical energy store for the electric motors. Regenerative braking feeds energy back into the flywheel system – no surprises there, as the technology is derived from Williams' exeprience with Kinetic Energy Recovery Systems (KERS) in F1.

Want a 28% return on investment? Buy a Classic Ferrari.

The Wall Street Journal declares a classic Ferrari as a sound investment with returns in the last year averaging 28% on important models. It seems, especially if you’re a petrolhead, you can have your cake and eat it by investing in classic cars, and particularly in classic Ferraris, and not just see your investment on a balance sheet but in your garage too. The Wall Street Journal has been looking at ‘Treasure ASsets’ like fine wines, works of art and classic cars.

Bob Lutz reportedly to stay on at General Motors

Bob Lutz, General Motors vice chairman and internationally renowned product guru, has reversed his retirement plans and is expected to stay with the remade car company as it charts a new path out of bankruptcy. Multiple media outlets are reporting Lutz, 77, has changed course and will not retire from GM at the end of the year as he had planned. Automotive News, citing anonymous sources, says the veteran industry leader will stay on at the company, possibly in a marketing or communications role--and could have product input.