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

BARONS ENDS YEAR ON HIGH

AUCTION HOUSE Barons has celebrated a successful classic car auction with 44 successful sales and a 1959 Aston Martin DB MKIII DHC making £175,000. The classic Aston had belonged to the same family since it was three-months-old and was joined by another DB MKIII example, a rolling restoration project that fetched £70,000. Another notable sale was a "time-warp" 1970 Ford Escort Delux MkI, which had covered just 2,600 miles in 40 years.

Audi R8 GT Spyder gets early unveiling at 2011 24 Hours of Le Mans

The new Audi R8 GT Spyder got an early unveiling outside the Audi Racing Pavillion at the 2011 24 Hours of Le Mans on Friday evening. The 552-hp V10 drop-top rocket uses carbon-fiber panels and a lightened interior to lower weight compared with the standard R8 5.2 FSI quattro Spyder. Audi claims 62 mph arrives in just 3.8 seconds, and the car tops out at 197 mph.

Lotus not liquidating

When a storied car brand moves only 137 units in a year in the UK and 242 in the US, predictions of said marque's demise carry a certain amount of weight -- 137 is not exactly a number that makes an automaker too big to fail. When the manufacturer in question shows up on a government list of companies to be shut down, brand-enthusiast hearts get heavy; the early stages of mourning kick in. But when the company in question is Lotus, the enthusiast thinks to himself, “Eh, they've been in dire straits before.