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

Video: Chris Bangle delivers “Empowerment: Design without Designers” talk at Creative Mornings/London

Chris Bangle – the undisputed front man of car design – needs little introduction, so the prospect of the former BMW Design Director and now founder of Chris Bangle Associates giving a talk in our home town of London was too good to pass up. His presentation (which you can watch in full in the video to the left) touched on his time at BMW, but was more focused on the idea of empowering others to create: "design without you in the middle", as Bangle says. From the story of the co-creation of the staircase in his Italian studio to the idea of encouraging people to think about their culture when designing, his philosophies transcend disciplines.

Porsche Panamera GTS arrives at LA Show

Porsche Panamera GTS Now that we’re a couple of years in from the launch of the Porsche Panamera, Porsche think it’s about time we got to know the hard-edge side of the Panamera, so the LA Auto Show has seen the arrival of the Porsche Panamera GTS. Just like other GTS Porsches – particularly the Cayenne GTS – it’s probably best to think of the GTS as a Turbo without a Turbo and a bit of attitude thrown in to the mix.# Despite its harder-edged stance and sporting pretensions the 2012 Panamera GTS is atill a bit of a lump, coming in at 1920kg thanks, in part, to the standard 4WD setup. But even with the lard and drive to all four wheels, the 425bhp V8 can still pick up its skirts and hustle to 62mph in a very respectable 4.5 secondsa and on to a top speed of 179mph.

Toyota to build Corollas at revived Mississippi plant starting in late 2011

Toyota will resume construction on its mothballed plant in Mississippi and begin producing the Corolla there late next year. “We first needed to fully utilize our existing facilities as the economy slowed,” Yoshimi Inaba, president of Toyota Motor North America, said in a statement Thursday. “Now it's time to fulfill Toyota's promise in Mississippi.” The automaker said it will hire 2,000 workers “soon.” Corolla output would mark another shift for the project.