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

First sight: Volkswagen Passat (2015)

In recent years, European buyers have been switching their mid-size sedans and wagons for smaller cars, crossovers and SUVs. The Volkswagen Passat, Europe's most successful company car, has defined this market segment pretty much since it arrived back in 1973, and this latest, eighth-generation model has been designed to attempt to reverse that buying trend. When we catch up with design director Dr Klaus Bischoff at the car's unveiling, he's certainly confident that the new car represents a significant step forward.

Lotus City Car Confirmed

Lotus City Car At the Paris Motor Show back in September Lotus arrived with more ‘New’ cars than any other car maker – much to everyone’s amazement. There was everything from the mid-engined Lotus Esprit to the Rapide-challenging four-door supercar that was the Lotus Eterne. In amongst the supercar-fest – that included the aforementioned Lotus Eterne and new Lotus Esprit – was the Lotus Elite, a new Lotus Elan and a new new Lotus Elise, a total of five new Lotus cars designed to turn Lotus in to an East Anglian Aston Martin.

Hennessey Venom GT hits new, unofficial, speed record (video)

The Hennessey Venom GT (pictured) hist 270.49mph on a NASA runway Top speed records for production cars is starting to seem pretty irrelevant as there’s almost nowhere an owner can ever hope to hit those record speeds. And the performance of cars like the new McLaren P1 – where  performance and handling are much more the focus than outright top speed – has added the the irrelevance. But that doesn’t stop some car makers aiming for the bragging rights of the world’s fastest production car, and John Hennessey and his Hennessey Venom GT are back with another claim on the title.