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

Washington auto show: Ford develops ‘intelligent cars'

There are plenty of smartphones, and now Ford is pitching the idea of “intelligent cars” that can communicate with each other to avoid accidents. Ford is investing heavily into the technology and will launch a fleet of prototypes this spring, the company said on Thursday at the Washington auto show. The idea is to use wireless signals on a secured channel to allow cars to communicate with each other.

McLaren P1′s Pirelli P Zero Corsas key to performance +video

The new McLaren P1 is shod with custom-made Pirelli P Zero Corsa Tyres specially developed to meet the challenges of a 903bhp supercar. Ron Dennis has already told us that he has driven the P1 round the Top Gear test track at Dunsfold a full 10 seconds quicker than the Pagani Huayra went round, so we know the P1 has huge abilities on tap. But what’s also interesting is that Ron did his Top Gear lap on the P1′s road tyres, specially developed for McLaren by Pirelli, and not on hand-cut slicks like the Pagani Huayra.

IIHS names safest cars for 2013

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety has named the safest cars for 2013, including 13 midsize sedans that qualify for a new “top safety pick+” designation. The designation is given to vehicles that earn “good” ratings for occupant protection in at least four of five tests, with no less than “acceptable” in the fifth test. A new test -- the small overlap test -- was added to assess how the vehicles perform during a front-corner collision with another vehicle or object, such as a utility pole.