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

Rockin' Supercar: The Rebirth, Short Life, and Death of a Shark-Fin-Equipped '85 Toyota Tercel Wagon

Sometimes a very ordinary car becomes something special, maybe even loved, but that's not always enough to keep it out of the jaws of the crusher. This is the story of a second-gen Toyota Tercel wagon (known in Japan as the Sprinter Carib) and its journey from auction to lumber-hauler to kid transportation to a Chinese steel factory. Around the turn of the century, while I was working at a doomed dot-com in San Francisco's South of Market neighborhood, I discovered that the city auctioned off all the unclaimed tow-away cars every week at nearby Pier 70.

Bentley uses 3D printing to prototype new designs [w/Video]

3D printing is changing the way the world makes things by helping people of all disciplines to enhance and refine their ideas cheaply, quickly and effectively.  Bentley is the latest carmaker to utilize the technology to fabricate and prototype different parts to see how they'll look and work on the finished design. Using 3D printers, designers can produce parts from the exterior and interior such as the grille, tires, headlamps and door handles as well as combine different types of contrasting materials, ranging from hard plastics to rubbers of different tensile strengths.  The technology allows the user to create a solid 3D object straight from a digital model by printing layers of material on top of each other. This process rapidly decreases the delivery time, as parts can be printed overnight, and allows designers to be more creative in their ideas because of the reduced cost. Bentley isn't the first carmaker to use 3D printing technology. Audi announced last year it was beginning to prototype vehicle parts using 3D printers.

Ferrari Superamerica 45 revealed ahead of Villa d’Este

Ferrari Superamerica 45 - stunning At the start of May we were hearing that Pininfarina had put together a one-off special for a Ferrari client – the Ferrari Superamerica 45 – which was being built for New Yorker Peter Kalikow, an avid Ferrari collector. Not only were Pininfarina building this one-off Ferrari, but they were going to reveal it at Villa d’Este this week – a perfect setting. Well, Villa d’Este kicks off tomorrow, but Ferrari couldn’t resist releasing a few photos of the Superamerica 45 as it was readied for collection by Peter Kalikow, and a few details.