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

Hyundai puts Michel Nandan in charge of WRC effort

Hyundai has appointed former Peugeot WRC technical director Michel Nandan to head up their assault on WRC. As Hyundai matures in to a credible mainstream force, improving brand perception is crucial to its long-term goals and 2012 is all about improving Hyundai’s brand experience and perceptions of the brand. A part of that focus is to take Hyundai back in to WRC rallying with a much modified i20, where Hyundai are hoping for a better experience than they had when they went rallying a decade ago – which should be a given considering the big strides Hyundai has made in its cars in the last few years.

GM's Tom Peters on breaking Corvette design tradition [w/Video]

GM design director of performance vehicles and full-size trucks Tom Peters has defended his decision to break from Corvette tradition by abandoning round rear lamps for the 2014 Stingray in an Autoweek video. The rear lamp design of the new model has been criticized as being "too Camaro" by some, to which Peters challenges them to park one alongside the other before he highlights just how different they are. Functionality also played a key role in the rear lamps' redesign, he explains, such as rear aerodynamic considerations, new LED technology previously unused in Corvette design, and depth of sculpture opportunities.

Bugatti reveals footage of record-setting open-top run

In case there was any doubt, Bugatti posted footage on Monday of its $2.6 million Veyron Grand Sport Vitesse hitting a record-setting 254.04 mph at Volkswagen's Ehra-Lessien test track. Chinese racing driver Anthony Liu was behind the wheel. If you'll remember, when Bugatti had its hardtop top-speed record pulled, it quickly set this test in motion to quiet any detractors.