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

Jason Castriota to head Saab Design

When Car Design News spoke to Jason Castriota about the new design consultancy he had set up in New York and Turin back in March, the designer told us he was working on a very exciting automotive project that he couldn't talk about at the time. It turns out that automotive project was for Saab, as last week the Swedish automaker announced it had hired Jason Castriota Design to oversee the development of a new generation of Saab products – the first to be completed under the tenure of its new owners, Spyker. Castriota's new appointment marks the shift from Saab's former position – where the brand was an integrated company within GM – to its newfound placement as an independent automaker, with Castriota essentially filling the role previously occupied by Mark Adams, GM Europe's Vice President of Design.

Rolls Royce Wraith Tease continues

The Rolls Royce Wraith – coupe sibling to the RR Ghost – continues its tease reveal ahead of a debut at the 2013 Geneva Motor Show. A few days after the news that the new Ghost Coupe would be the Wraith, Rolls Royce started to tease their new sporty coupe with a teaser photo showing the profile of the Wraith – suitably shadowy, of course – and illustrating that this new Rolls Royce will be the most sporty RR we’ve ever seen. When we got the last tease photo of the Wraith in from Rolls Royce, we did warn you to expect an ongoing drip feed of teases and photos before the Wraith arrived at next month’s Geneva Motor Show, so you won’t be surprised to discover we have a new tease in our inbox this morning.

Watch the sad, final moments of a crusher-bound heap

Automotive wrecking yards are good places to reflect on the real-world values of heavily depreciated vehicles versus global current scrap-metal prices, and to see which cars have suddenly had the fix-it-versus-total-it line moved by insurance companies (the early-21st-century Subaru Legacy Outback, for example, appeared in large numbers in high-turnover wrecking yards just during the last year, as fairly minor collision damage on these cars is no longer worth fixing). You'll see the things that a car's last owner does in a desperate attempt to sell (or at least live with) an increasingly decrepit heap (as we learned in "Repo Man," you really will find a Little Tree in every car). During a recent trip to a San Jose, Calif., yard, I encountered this sad yet strangely compelling scene.