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

Mini Vision concept: what does it say about the brand's future?

The sight of Mini design head Anders Warming presenting a holographic, 3D projection of the Mini Vision concept as if appearing in his own cartoon was certainly a new one on us, but it captured the quirky, slightly left-field image the subsidiary of BMW Group has cultivated since its relaunch 13 years ago. As the 'Vision' tag suggests, this is billed as a marker of intent for the brand's future design direction rather than a pre-production teaser of the new Mini hatchback (Cooper in most markets) we'll see later this year. However if the third-generation 'new' Mini doesn't look remarkably similar we'd be amazed, such is the level of productionized detailing on this purely digital model.

Motown rockers Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr. serve up Horse Power

NASCAR fans looking for a new soundtrack to their auto-racing season can trade in their Lynyrd Skynyrd records for an offering from Detroit-based indie-pop duo Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr. In a nod to their Motor City roots, band members Josh Epstein and Daniel Zott take the stage wearing racing suits and trucker hats and croon covers of Gil Scott-Heron's “We Almost Lost Detroit.” The band, which is touring the East Coast this week, released an EP titled Horse Power last summer and is coming out with its first full-length album, It's a Corporate World, on June 7.

Lancia Stratos (2010) first official pictures

These are the first official pictures of the new 2010 Lancia Stratos, the brainchild of German entrepreneur Michael Stoschek and the spiritual successor to the legendary rally car of the 1970s. After a few weeks of speculation and spy shots, these are the first official photos of the new, 21st century Lancia Stratos. Officially, no.