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

One Lap of the Web: Winter project car edition

-- The gents over at Chromjuwelen compiled a list of their favorite car builds of 2013. Number 10 starts off with a BMW 525i station wagon from the 1990s that's received an LSX V8 engine swap, just to give you some idea what kinds of "builds" Chromjuwelen is talking about. -- If you've seen the 1975-1979 Chevrolet Monza V8, you can bravely click on this link to read its fascinating (in a not-particularly good way) story.

Citroën designers: Design students have 'golden opportunity'

Today's car design students "have got a fantastic opportunity in a very different world," say Citroën designers. Though the automotive industry has been suffering in many regions in the current economic climate, the next generation of car designers "have got a fantastic opportunity," says Andrew Cowell, Senior Design Manager at Citroën, in conversation with Car Design News at the Royal College of Art, London. "The industry will evolve quite a lot, and these guys (the students on the postgraduate Vehicle Design course) will come out into a very different world." "They'll start in a very interesting period", says Alexandre Malval, Citroën Design Director and himself a graduate from the RCA course.

OnStar to tap Google to guide the Chevrolet Volt

General Motors Co.'s OnStar telematics unit is bringing Google mobile navigation technology into the car. Chevrolet Volt drivers whose smartphones use Google's Android operating system will be able to use their phones to pinpoint their vehicle's location on Google Maps, GM said in a statement released Tuesday. They can then request a destination by speaking it into the phone, and have the desired destination sent directly to the car.