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

Detroit Electric SP:01 (2014) nears production. The next Tesla?

By Tom Gregory Motor Industry 19 June 2014 11:26 New US based electric car maker, Detroit Electric, has been conducting final testing in Europe of its new SP:01 sports car.Described by Detriot Electric as the “world’s fastest production electric vehicle”, the rear-wheel-drive two-seat convertible is now nearing production having initially been unveiled in the USA and China last year. In a word, yes. Much like the equally electric Tesla Roadster, the SP:01 is built on the aluminium chassis of the Lotus Elise and as such, shares more than a passing resemblance with the Norfolk-built sports car.

Merc to revive straight six, plus 4cyl and smaller V8s

Mercedes has just signed off a new engine family which will see most full-sized Mercs in future run four-cylinders, downsized V8s and… straight sixes. A friendly Mercedes engineer recently met CAR to disclose the engine plans for future models, including the surprise disclosure that Merc plans to switch to straight sixes, like its rivals over in Munich.  It's fair to say I almost choked on my breakfast croissant when I found out the details of the next MB engine generation which has just been signed off for release in 2015. Mercedes' future four-cylinder engines Again, there will be a family of new low-cost fours, and the big-bore V8s will be replaced by a series of downsized turbocharged 4.0-litre units.

Hurricane Sandy cars up for auction in New York

New York City is auctioning off 535 vehicles abandoned after Hurricane Sandy. More than 100 of those vehicles were sold on Tuesday; the rest will be auctioned May 2 and May 7 at David Maltz & Co. in Central Islip, Long Island.