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

Four car design schools to compete in Ferrari design contest

 Ferrari, in collaboration with Pininfarina, has laid down a global challenge for students of car design. The project, called 'Ferrari: new concepts for the myth', will see students from four of the world's best automotive design schools compete to create new concepts for future Ferraris. The four schools are: Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, Tokyo Communication Arts, Coventry University School of Art and Design, and the European Institute of Design in Turin.

2013 Nissan GT-R gets a tweak

Nissan has had a play with the GT-R for 2013 with suspension upgrades, sharper responses and a more comfortable ride. On the performance front, the 2013 model year Nissan GT-R gets a set of new high-output injectors which give more concise control to fuel for better mid range and high rev response, a new relief valve for the turbocharger bypass cuts the decrease of pressure to sustain response and a new oil pan baffle helps maintain oil pressure. On the handling front Nissan has revised dampers, springs and the front anti-roll bar to lower the centre of gravity, new cam bolts on the front suspension improve accuracy and the torque carrying capacity of the driveshaft to hub bearings has been increased to you can attack a track more reliably.

BMW's quirky new i3

The side view of the new BMW i3 electric vehicle takes some getting used to, with no two windows the same size or shape. The i3 is high-waisted through the front door and then there's a notch for a taller rear-passenger window and the rear-hinged rear door and a narrow, tapering window at the rear quarter. Yet when you look at the underlying structure -- made of carbon-fiber-reinforced plastic -- an innovative choice for a mass-produced car -- there's a giant side opening from front to rear.