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

Driving with criminals

At first it had all the appearances of a routine police checkpoint, a simple little affair in which some warnings might be issued, possibly some speeding tickets. But otherwise our group of 18 or so U.S. automotive journalists driving a fleet of high-priced Mercedes-Benz E63 AMG sedans would be allowed to continue on our merry way through the Spanish countryside.

Video: Corvette ZR1's record Nurburgring lap

By Ben Pulman Motor Industry 16 July 2008 09:00 With a supercharged 6.2-litre V8 pumping out 620bhp and 607lb ft and only needing to push 1519kg, the Corvette ZR1 was never being to be slow. But few people outside of General Motors could have expected the ZR1 to lap the Nurburgring faster than a Nissan GT-R. Well, the ZR1 has just blitzed the GT-R’s time by nearly four seconds, clocking a 7:26.4 lap time.

Art Center Car Classic features the world's great automobiles

It seems like we say this every year, but this year it's truly fitting: this was the best Art Center Car Classic ever. Consider that the show covered both ends of the Corvette spectrum, from Peter Brock and the rise of the original “Mitchell Corvette” -- which was right there parked on the grass -- to General Motors designer Pete Thomas and the new C7 parked not far away, with the Mako Shark and the '63 split-window Sting Ray lined up between. A couple car lengths from that was the debut of the finally finished Peter Mullin Bugatti Type 64, a spectacular re-imagining of Jean Bugatti's unfinished final car done by Art Center students and Transportation Design chair Stewart Reed.