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

Cool Cars and Hot August Nights

Hot August Nights is a weeklong party, and the cars are the stars. Not just any cars--vintage, cool cars, mostly from the 1950s and '60s. American-made muscle cars such as Ford Mustangs, Shelby Cobras, Chevrolet Camaros and Pontiac GTOs dominate the festival in Reno, Nev., but there are also plenty of Cadillacs, Oldsmobiles, AMCs and even some Jaguars, Volkswagens and Mini Coopers seen cruising the streets of northern Nevada.

BMW 2 Series Active Tourer gets (slightly inappropriate) M Sport Package

The BMW 2 Series active Tourer moves to the butch side with an M Sport Package Purists moan, but the BMW 2 Series Active Tourer MPV is a sensible move by BMW and aimed at BMW lovers who need a BMW equivalent to the Mercedes B Class; a premium family car for shifting kids and stuff around. Using the same platform as the all new MINI, the 2 Series Active Tourer is BMW’s first front wheel drive car, although a 225i Active Tourer will go on sale in November complete with BMW’s 4WD xDrive. But the 2 Series Active Tourer wouldn’t be a BMW offering unless it also came with the option of an M Sport Pack, which is exactly what will be on offer – however unsuited the Active Tourer may seem for such sporty embellishments – when the xDrive Active Tourer arrives in November (although the M Sport Pack will be offered across the whole Active Tourer range).

Local Motors 'Design Our Car' competition opens

Local Motors has opened its first-ever ‘Design Our Car' competition, which encourages collaboration within the manufacturing community. The open-source automaker is providing two of its Rally Fighter cars, one of which will be built at the company's micro-factory in Arizona while the other will be built live in the Emerging Technology Center at September's International Manufacturing Technology Show (IMTS) in Chicago. Ideas from the design and engineering community are being sought to help design and select a skin for the Rally Fighter that will be built by the Local Motors team this spring.