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

Opel Ampera plug-in hybrid design sketches leak out

By Tim Pollard First Official Pictures 19 February 2009 09:28 These pictures allegedly reveal the production-spec Opel/Vauxhall Ampera a fortnight ahead of its Geneva show debut. A Spanish website claims to have stumbled across the technical design sketches at a European patent office and – if authentic – they spill the beans on the new plug-in hybrid electric concept car that’s bound for a showroom near you within two years. The Ampera is Opel/Vauxhall’s version of the Chevrolet Volt, the breakthrough car that could just save GM if it survives its current crisis.

Watch the 2,000-horsepower Banks Freightliner jump five cars

Mike Ryan does amazing things with the Banks Freightliner. And with Pikes Peak still half a year away, Ryan settles for practice in the Long Beach docks in "Size Matters 2." He weaves the semi in and out of boxes, does donuts in the same tight radius as a matte-black 240SX (driven by stuntman Daniel Leavitt, who ironically shares his name with a reckless driving attorney in Virgina), and dodges even larger trucks. (No Dodges, though there's the Freightliner connection.) All the elements of Ken Block's Gymkhana videos are here: the screeching electronic music, the moody industrial setting, the gratuitous slow-motion.

College Exhibition: Royal College of Art - GE Plasticon project

Postgraduate students at London's Royal College of Art recently presented the results of a multi-disciplinary design project in collaboration with GE Plastics. As part of the 'PLASTicon' project, 17 RCA first year MA students researched, designed and built models of concept vehicles aimed at the needs of different markets - from SUV owners to Gen-Y consumers - utilising the capabilities of plastics. Beginning in December, the students from the Vehicle Design course as well as from Textiles, were split into six teams tasked with conducting research into specific scenarios, including emerging generations and emerging markets to meet specific challenges of today and tomorrow.