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

First sight: Volkswagen Passat (2015)

In recent years, European buyers have been switching their mid-size sedans and wagons for smaller cars, crossovers and SUVs. The Volkswagen Passat, Europe's most successful company car, has defined this market segment pretty much since it arrived back in 1973, and this latest, eighth-generation model has been designed to attempt to reverse that buying trend. When we catch up with design director Dr Klaus Bischoff at the car's unveiling, he's certainly confident that the new car represents a significant step forward.

One lap of the Web: Syphilis, a scary monster and one huge remote-controlled car

We spend a lot of time on the Internet -- pretty much whenever we're not driving, writing about or working on cars. Since there's more out there than we'd ever be able to cover, here's our daily digest of car stuff on the Web you may not otherwise have heard about. -- Karl Henkel, a numbers guru, brings perspective to the government's distracted driving fear mongering by sharing Mazda 626 monstrosity from 1:3 scale RC car that can travel up to 45 mph?

Pebble Beach Automotive Week and Monterey Classics Week 2013 preview

Newspress If you love cars, one little corner of the globe will be irresistibly calling out to you this week. The air around Pebble Beach and the Monterey Peninsula in California is throbbing with the engine notes of world’s greatest, fastest, newest and most valuable cars. It’s Pebble Beach Automotive Week and Monterey Classics Week 2013, a loose collection of glittering world-class car events bringing together an incredible collection of jaw-dropping exotica from across the entire automotive spectrum.