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

Finalists announced in Fiat UK's 'Smiles per Hour' design competition

Fiat UK has picked five finalists in the ‘Smiles per Hour Design Competition', a design contest we first told you about back in July. The aim of the competition was to find a budding designer in Britain who would develop a clever and amusing new way to travel. Following an initial judging process, the selection for best designs comprised of Simon Tarrant's 'Street Rower'; Nick Rawcliffe's 'Snowbone'; Natalie Daghestani's 'Hylo female commuter shoe'; Steven Spong's ‘Longbow'; and Harley Zblewski's 'Suitcase Car' -  a design we first saw at Coventry University's annual Degree Show in June.

Art Center Car Classic features the world's great automobiles

It seems like we say this every year, but this year it's truly fitting: this was the best Art Center Car Classic ever. Consider that the show covered both ends of the Corvette spectrum, from Peter Brock and the rise of the original “Mitchell Corvette” -- which was right there parked on the grass -- to General Motors designer Pete Thomas and the new C7 parked not far away, with the Mako Shark and the '63 split-window Sting Ray lined up between. A couple car lengths from that was the debut of the finally finished Peter Mullin Bugatti Type 64, a spectacular re-imagining of Jean Bugatti's unfinished final car done by Art Center students and Transportation Design chair Stewart Reed.

Jason Castriota to head Saab Design

When Car Design News spoke to Jason Castriota about the new design consultancy he had set up in New York and Turin back in March, the designer told us he was working on a very exciting automotive project that he couldn't talk about at the time. It turns out that automotive project was for Saab, as last week the Swedish automaker announced it had hired Jason Castriota Design to oversee the development of a new generation of Saab products – the first to be completed under the tenure of its new owners, Spyker. Castriota's new appointment marks the shift from Saab's former position – where the brand was an integrated company within GM – to its newfound placement as an independent automaker, with Castriota essentially filling the role previously occupied by Mark Adams, GM Europe's Vice President of Design.