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

Corvette ZR1 (2008): first official pictures

By Ben Oliver First Official Pictures 13 January 2008 21:56 General Motors has unveiled its fastest, most powerful production model ever. Official figures have yet to be released but insiders say the Corvette ZR1 is likely to top 200mph and crack 60mph in a little over 3 seconds. Its new supercharged, 6.2-litre LS9 V8 makes 620bhp and 595lb ft of torque, which GM claims gives the ZR1 a better power-to-weight ratio than the Ferrari 599, Porsche 911 GT2 and Lamborghini Murcielago LP640.

Battery breakthrough set to accelerate electric-car development

A team of scientists working at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology are claiming a significant breakthrough in recharging times for lithium-ion batteries. According to findings published in the scientific journal Nature, MIT researchers Byoungwoo Kang and Gerbrand Ceder have unlocked the potential of lithium-ion batteries by patenting a unique process which is claimed to allow a typical laptop power pack to be fully recharged in less than a minute--an improvement in recharging performance of roughly 90 percent over existing lithium-ion batteries. Lithium-ion batteries generate electric current via the flow of lithium ions across an electrolyte, from an electrode to a cathode.

Watch a Volvo find its own parking spot

Cars that can navigate into a preselected parking spot have been around for a few years now, and they've proven that under the right conditions they can pull it off successfully most of the time. But what about a car that finds its own parking spot just after you step out? Volvo is about to show a car that can do just that, and it manages this feat without an array of sensors on the roof that make the car look like a military aircraft.