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

From Cape Town to London -- in a Fiat Panda

If we wanted to break the speed record for the run from Cape Town, South Africa to London -- a quick 10,000-mile jaunt -- we'd start out by scouring the classifieds for something big and rugged. A Land Rover would be a classic choice, but a tricked-out Toyota or Jeep could do nicely as well. A team consisting of British rally drivers Philip Young and Paul Brace are taking a somewhat different approach.

Redesigned Ford Focus expected to get 40 mpg highway

The redesigned 2012 Ford Focus will get an estimated 40 mpg in highway driving with an all-aluminum 2.0-liter engine mated to a six-speed, dual dry-clutch automatic transmission. The normally aspirated engine combines variable camshaft timing and high-pressure direct fuel injection to crank out 160 hp and 146 lb-ft of torque. That compares with 140 hp and 136 lb-ft from the aluminum 2.0-liter engine used in the current-generation Focus.

Original 1907 Thomas Flyer joins 2011 World Race competitors

The American-made Thomas Flyer, driven by George Schuster, won the world's first around-the-globe race. It was 1908, and it was still hard for a man to get around the globe, let alone the fledgling automobile. But the Thomas Flyer made the 22,000-mile trip in 169 days.