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

Ecclestone faces £4 million bill

MOTORSPORT boss Bernie Ecclestone must pay lawyers' bills adding up to about £4 million despite winning a High Court fight with a German media company, a judge has ruled. In February, Mr Justice Newey had dismissed a claim for around £80 million in damages by Constantin Medien - which had said it lost out after Mr Ecclestone entered into a "corrupt agreement" with a banker to facilitate the sale of the Formula 1 Group to a buyer chosen by him. But, despite ruling against Constantin after a High Court trial in London, the judge had described 83-year-old Mr Ecclestone as not "reliable or truthful".

New techniques cut cost of carbon fiber

Carbon fiber, once so costly that it was the preferred material only for fighter planes and supercars, is catching the attention of weight-conscious automakers. Carbon fiber's cost is falling dramatically, thanks to production advances that let suppliers speed the material's finicky, and costly, curing process. One technological breakthrough that makes carbon-fiber auto parts more affordable may come from a process used to make carbon-fiber golf clubs.

The first Volkswagen Beetle in America looked like this

On Jan. 17, 1949, the Holland America Line Westerdam pulled into New York Harbor from Rotterdam carrying the seed of an automotive empire. It had been only four years since Volkswagen resurrected operations in Wolfsburg, the factory heavily ruined by Allied forces and now under the command of Major Ivan Hirst.