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

Opel Astra OPC Extreme debuts before Geneva

The Geneva motor show starts next week, which means we get to see an awesome selection of cars that will never come to our shores. On Wednesday, Opel added the Astra OPC Extreme to that category, which now includes the Jaguar XFR-S Sportbrake, Volkswagen Polo and Aston Martin Vantage N430, among others. The Astra OPC Extreme is 220 pounds lighter than the already-hot OPC, thanks to the use of carbon fiber.

BMW 640d xDrive announced

On Thursday, Greg Kable waxed effusively about the new BMW M550d xDrive coupe, suggesting that it was the ultimate 5-series for everyday use. On Friday, Munich announced that the 5's two-door sibling will receive an AWD diesel variant: the 640d xDrive. While not quite as high-zoot as the 5-series' top oil burner, the 640d's 3.0-liter, twin-turbo straight-six cranks out a respectable 465 lb-ft of almighty torque between 1,500 rpm and 2,500 rpm, plus 313 hp at 4,400 rpm—numbers that, according to BMW, will carry the 6-series to 60 mph in 5.2 seconds.

Lexus LF-Ch hybrid at 2009 Frankfurt motor show

By Tim Pollard First Official Pictures 09 September 2009 23:00 Lexus is eyeing up the premium hatchback market – and this LF-Ch is the first mission statement from the Japanese. Why LF-Ch? The name denotes the latest styling from the L-Finesse design mantra; the 'C' denotes a C-segment mid-sized hatch; and the 'h' means it's a hybrid.