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

SEMA ups scholarship money for car-crazed college kids

The Specialty Equipment Market Association, better known to most of us as SEMA, has announced a hefty boost to its SEMA Memorial Scholarship Fund for 2013: The top student selected now gets $1,000 more for a total of $5,000 toward an automotive-related college education. Other eligible participants in four-year programs get $3,000—last year, they only received $2,000—and two-year students get their funds doubled to $2,000. In the Buckeye State, one lucky student at the Ohio Technical College will get complete tuition coverage, which is a cool $29,400.

New Volvo V40: Geneva 2012

New Volvo V40 at Geneva We catch up with the new Volvo V40 at Geneva – perhaps the most important car for Volvo in years – and find it entirely convincing. The new Volvo V40 was perhaps the most leaked car ahead of its official debut earlier this week at Geneva 2012, and we already knew most of what it would offer. But catching up with the V40 at Geneva confirms what we felt about the V40 when we got the first information – it’s entirely convincing.

Ian Callum’s Jaguar Mark 2 goes in to limited production – costs from £350,000

Ian Callum’s Jaguar Mark 2 goes in to limited production Jaguar designer Ian Callum has worked with Classic Motor Cars Limited (CMC) for more than a year to produce his perfect Jaguar Mark 2, and it’s been so well-received it’s going in to limited production. Still looking like a Jaguar MK II – but with a few modern twists – Ian’s car gets integrated bumpers for a smoother look, louvres on the front wings, a set of split-rim wire wheels, an upgraded 4.3 litre XK engine, five-speed manual ‘box, upgraded suspension and brakes and a new interior. To our eyes, the whole car looks incredibly homogeneous and not at all like the ruination of a classic, and that seems to be the feeling of Jaguar lovers round the world.