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

How the Nissan Qashqai reinvented the family car

The 2014 Nissan Qashqai (above) arrived in showrooms this week, but will the second-generation model be as groundbreaking as the first? Inevitably, the all-new Qashqai looks very similar to the outgoing model, but why change a winning formula? The original Qashqai was, arguably, the most successful new family car launch since the original Volkswagen Golf from 1974. And it came out of the blue, because Nissan was perhaps the last company anyone would have expected to come up with such a revolutionary design.

SoCal Speed shop wins AMBR award as hod-rodding returns to its roots

In a competition that "took hot-rodding back to its SoCal roots," the SoCal Speed Shop--the entity founded by original hot-rod hero Alex Xydias and now helmed by Pete Chapouris--finally won the AMBR. That's AMBR, as in, America's Most Beautiful Roadster, the most sought-after title in all of hot-rodding and the crowning glory of the Grand National Roadster Show. There is that competition at the Detroit Autorama that hands out the Ridler Award, but that is open to all manner of kustom kars.

2012 Nissan 370Z Facelift – if you look really closely

The 2012 Nissan 370Z gets a mild tweak - debuts at the Chicago Motor Show The Nissan 370Z is getting a facelift for 2012 – which will debut this week at the Chicago Motor Show – but it’s not extensive. All the car buzz at the moment – at least around new models – is about the Geneva Motor Show in March. Which might explain why the 2012 Nizzan 370Z facelift is getting paraded on a much quieter stage at the Chicago Motor Show. Because we’re struggling to see what exactly Nissan has done to the 370Z for 2012.