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

Sales enthusiasm? Sports-car and luxury brands show strong market gains

Count Porsche among enthusiast and luxury brands enjoying huge sales gains this year. Sales for the German automaker are up 29 percent so far this year-one of the largest increases in the industry. Almost one-third of Porsche's total sales came from the four-door Panamera.

Porsche nearing 900 orders for its 918 Spyder hybrid concept

When Porsche AG showed the 918 Spyder at the Geneva show in March, we said it was a car to “make anyone a believer in hybrid supercar tech.” Well, maybe not anyone, but Porsche now says it has almost 900 potential buyers for the two-seater hybrid prototype as the German automaker gets closer to approving production. Porsche development chief Wolfgang Duerheimer said he is confident the company will soon reach the threshold of 1,000 orders, which is how many the company needs to “make a sound business case.” The 918 has 680 hp and, according to Porsche, will get 78 mpg and run from 0 to 60 mph in 3 seconds. Porsche said it wants to double its overall vehicle sales to 150,000 in the next five years or so.

Clay modeler turns steel sculptor in new exhibition

A GM Holden clay modeler who has used his skills to transform scrap metal into over 400 works of art will display his creations at an new exhibition in Melbourne, Australia.   Jamie Schena, whose sculptures will be displayed in his ‘Mechanisation' show at custom bike shop Gasolina, sold his first artwork in 2001 after starting to sculpt models from bits of scrap metal lying around his father's workshop. After helping to rebuild engines and design farm machinery in his family's mechanical and engineering business, he moved to Melbourne to study Industrial Design at Monash University.