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

Saab on the road to independence

You’ve got to feel for Scandinavian car makers Saab and Volvo. Both swallowed up by big US car makers, and both now being abandoned in a vulnerable position after years of integrating their once independent products in to their parents infrastructure, they must wake up every day wondering if this is the day it all goes bang. Ford is simply trying (increasingly desperately) to off-load Volvo, but GM, which is in a much more precarious position than Ford, has now abandoned its Swedish child in a desperate attempt to appease Congress and survive.

Bentley Continental GT3-R (2014) first official pics

By Damion Smy First Official Pictures 17 June 2014 12:00 The Bentley Continental GT3-R is the fastest accelerating Bentley ever built. It’s a road-gong version of the car that stormed to victory at Silverstone last month, the Continental GT3, and ticks off 0-62mph in 3.8sec: this is some grand tourer The 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8 that’s just been introduced into the Flying Spur saloon has been wound up to a heady 572bhp, with a stonking 516lb ft combining to make this svelte coupe the fastest accelerating Bentley production car ever built, and a whopping 0.8sec better than the V8 S model. The GT3-R is not the fastest Bentley, though, with its top-end only 170mph (virtually walking pace, really), but the eight-speed ZF gearbox and final drive have been tuned to make this car a corner carver, as opposed to a top-end tourer.

Faurecia Pin-spiration calls for premium pinboards

Faurecia has launched its ‘Faurecia Pin-spiration' contest, with a brand new 64GB iPad up for grabs. Tier supplier Faurecia is using online sharing community Pinterest to host a new competition to create a pinboard named ‘Faurecia Pin-spiration' – categorized under ‘Cars and Motorcycles' – and filled with things that reflect the meaning of ‘premium’ that could also be used in automotive design. To enter into the contest send an email to FaureciaNA@Faurecia.com with the link to the board along with your name, email address and phone number by 31 July, and Faurecia judges will then choose the winner.