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

Toyota announces winners in design competition (w/ Video)

Toyota has announced the winners of a sponsored design competition hosted by London's Royal College of Art. Based on the theme of ‘Intelligent Urban Living', the winners include a simple but effective vertical storage system to keep bikes out of reach of thieves and a keyboard display that makes life easier for two-fingered typists. Inspired by the design of Toyota's innovative iQ city car, which addresses many of the challenges of modern city living with its compact dimensions, the contest generated inspiration that gave a new twist to some familiar household objects and produced innovations to make modern life easier and more environmentally responsible.

Maserati GranCabrio at Frankfurt

Maserati will be launching the Maserati GranCabrio at Frankfurt It’s taken Maserati a year or three to cobble together the Convertible GranTurismo, but they’ve finally got there and the new car is Christened – The Maserati GranCabrio – and will launch at the Frankfurt Motor Show next month. Unlike its cousin the Ferrari California, the GranCabrio gets a folding rag-top instead of a tin-top, which should help keep the inevitable weight gains for a cabrio in check. But it’s still not going to be light at pushing on two tonnes.

Survey claims winter prompts increase in in-car tensions

NEW research conducted by the RAC puts the traditional winter blues in the shade, as the motoring organisation’s survey has uncovered a new phenomenon: "carguments". According to the RAC’s poll of 1,300 drivers, as many as 54% of motorists say they have arguments in the car – hence the ‘cargument’ - at this time of year when the days are short and the weather is miserable. A total of 15% of drivers and passengers said they argue more in the car than anywhere else, with 19% saying the mere act of driving left them stressed and angry, and 14% feeling cooped up in a car.