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

Brabus turns the Mercedes-Benz E63 AMG up to 850 hp

While other German tuners' cars sometimes answer questions no one asked, Mercedes-Benz tuning house Brabus has tended to answer questions that many were too scared to ask. One such question was: what would an 850-hp E-class sedan be like? The answer comes in the form of their latest reworking of the E63 AMG sedan (itself no slouch, it should be noted), called the 850 6.0 Biturbo.

Lotus appoints Swizz Beatz as Vice President of Creative Design and Global Marketing

We've become accustomed to surprising and – at times – bizarre news stories emerging from Lotus since Danny Behar became CEO. But judging from reaction in the world of social media this afternoon, even by Lotus's recent standards, the news that it has appointed American rapper Swizz Beatz as its vice president of Creative Design and Global Marketing, came as something of a surprise. Kasseem Daoud Dean, otherwise known as Swizz Beatz, has a broad creative background, having a portfolio that includes music producer, rapper, designer and painter.

Better Place EV Battery Swap business goes bust

It seemed like a good idea: take the cost of batteries out of the cost of buying an electric car and instead charge EV owners to use ‘Battery Swap’ stations where depleted batteries could be swapped for fully charged ones in the time it takes to fill an ICE car with petrol. But it’s all gone a bit Pete Tong. Better Place – which partnered with Renault in 2009 to make the battery swap technology viable – has failed to find anyone to add to the $750 million already involved in the project and has filed for bankruptcy.