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

One Lap of the Web: The Talented Mr. Honda, electric airplanes and Viper-powered Jensens

We spend a lot of time on the Internet -- pretty much whenever we're not driving, writing about or working on cars. Since there's more out there than we'd ever be able to cover, here's our daily digest of car stuff on the Web you may not otherwise have heard about. -- A blog post at Hemmings called our attention to this fascinating profile of Soichiro Honda, which was originally printed in the June 16, 1963 edition of the British newspaper The Observer.

Alfa Romeo Giulietta (2010) first official pictures: it's the new 147

Alfa has revived an historic badge for its all-new 147 replacement, seen here in these first official pictures issued today. Following a last-minute decision to ditch the name Milano – precipitated by angry Milanese workers irritated at Alfa naming the car after the town despite having shifted operations to Turin – the Golf fighter will be called Giulietta. Using a new platform that will underpin the next Fiat Brava, the Giulietta uses a mix of steel and aluminium clothed in bodywork that borrows cues from the 8C supercar – sort of – including sweptback headlights and a narrow glasshouse.

Czech Car Maker Offers A Vision Of Its Future

SKODA has long since cast off its budget car image, but just in case you remain on the fence regarding the Czech firm’s premium market aspirations, it’s revealed a smart new concept car ahead of the Geneva Motor Show, called the VisionC. The five-door ‘coupe’ is said to be positioned in-between existing Octavia and Superb models, and has clearly been influenced by cars such as Audi’s A7 – another large, premium coupe-like model. As Skoda continues to grab a larger share of the market it’s also keen to steal buyers from existing firms selling ‘affordable premium’ models.