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

Horace takes the lead on road safety

MORE BITE has been added to the Think! road safety campaign in the form of animated figure Horace the dog. Created by Wallace and Gromit company Aardman, Horace has been introduced to highlight a road safety competition in which schoolchildren will be asked to create their own short animated films to communicate key road safety messages to fellow pupils.

One Lap of the Web: Packards -- Ask the man who knows way too much about one

-- For some light Wednesday reading, here's more information than you ever wanted to know about Packard. It includes the horrible neoclassics that plagued the 1970s, and the 1995 revival of the Packard name that attempted to stick a shortened rendition of the famous Packard grille in front of a 440-hp V12, all wrapped in a shape that looked like a melted Twix, as shown above. Our august associate editor Graham Kozak owns a Packard, so he could have filled us in on the details.

Holden restores its futuristic 1969 Hurricane concept car

Holden, General Motors' Australian subsidiary, has resurrected its first-ever concept car: the 1969 Hurricane, packed with then-futuristic technology, some of which wouldn't make its way into production cars for more than a decade. When it was first revealed, the mid-engine, rear-wheel-drive, two-seat sports car showcased in-your-dreams innovations such as a rearview camera, a magnet-based navigation system, automatic air conditioning, electronic displays and a station-seeking radio. Holden designers started restoring the Hurricane concept--code-named RD 001--in 2006, using as many of the original parts as possible.