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

Euro NCAP Slams UK Safety Record

By Ben Whitworth Motor Industry 11 May 2007 10:50 Euro NCAP has panned UK car manufacturers after a dismal performance in its Electronic Stability Control survey. Figures released today by the automotive safety organisation put the cars sold in the UK near the bottom of the table when it comes to fitting ESC as standard. While Denmark, Sweden and Germany topped the list, the UK ranked 20th out of the 25 countries surveyed, only just beating Ireland, Greece, Malta and the Netherlands.

Porsche 959 prototype to cross the block at Barrett-Jackson

When Professor Helmuth Bott arrived at the fledgling Porsche sports-car company in 1952, he was in his late 20s. The young engineer's first assignment was setting up a gearbox test stand for the company's new all-syncromesh Type 519 transaxle. Thirty-one years later, he gave the go-ahead for the development of a car that was to be the ultimate bleeding edge of what Porsche knew about building a rear-engined sports car.

For new CAFE rules, automakers place high-stakes tech bets

Game-changing 2015 fuel economy rules are forcing vehicle development teams to make high-stakes bets on expensive technologies--bets that will separate the winners from the also-rans. Not only do federal rules target a 2015 fleet average of 35.5 mpg, up from the current 27.5 mpg for cars and 23.1 mpg for light trucks; they force automakers to bet on different technology packages for each vehicle segment. Companies that do best at mixing technologies while keeping down costs will have an advantage when buyers wince at higher stickers.