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

One Lap of the Web: Rags to riches, Beetles to Porsches

-- Joseph MacDonald parked his 1965 Beetle in front of a restaurant 41 years ago, and that was the last time he saw it. He might yet see it again today, as his stolen car -- now painted white, and with even more rust -- will reunite with him, through the providence of border patrol officers actually performing some due diligence. Jason Torchinsky -- who knows a thing or two about stolen Beetles -- notes that he was lucky enough not to have waited 40 years for his car to come back.

Bentley appoints new CEO, poached from Porsche

Bentley has announced the appointment of Wolfgang Dürheimer as its new chairman and chief executive officer. He will also head up Bugatti, as did predecessor, Franz-Josef Paefgen. Dürheimer, who joins Bentley from Porsche where he headed the research and development team, will start his new role at Crewe on 1 February 2011.

Volkswagen takes stake in Suzuki

VW takes a 19.9% stake in Suzuki We’re back on the co-operation and rationalisation path again, this time with Volkswagen and Suzuki, with the announcement that VW is to take a 19.9% stake in Suzuki, with Suzuki in turn re-investing up to half of the proceeds in to Volkswagen shares. This deal has been on the cards for some time but has obviously been pushed in to reality by the changing landscape for car manufacturers, where they seek to find a more secure future with takeovers, mergers and partnerships. Which is all very logical, even if it will inevitably lead to less choice for the car buyer in the long term.