Brian Crower Stroker Kit -honda (b16/b17) 1.92 Liters H-beam Bc625+rod Bc0018 on 2040-parts.com

Ralph Gilles talks past, present and SRT future

Ralph Gilles -- SRT boss, Chrysler vice president of design, curator of something called the "Man Van," has become the public face of Chrysler performance, carrying the legacy of Firepower engines and 428 Coronets and the Dodge Viper RT/10 into the future with the Challenger, Charger and Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT8s. Since "unofficially" helping form it in 2003, Gilles has seen SRT transformed into Chrysler's most coherent performance strategy since Plymouth Rapid Transit, a company-wide force so much greater than the flagship Dodge Viper. He was there from the beginning.

Michael Mauer appointed head of design at Porsche

Porsche AG has anounced the appointment of Michael Mauer to take over as chief designer from Harm Lagaay, who will retire on July 1 after 15 years in the post. Michael Mauer, 41, studied automobile design at Pforzheim University, and started his career at Mercedes-Benz. In 1989, he was appointed design project leader for the Mercedes V Class models, and was in charge of design work for the first SLK model generation.

Mazda at the London motor show 2008

By Ben Whitworth Motor Shows 22 July 2008 13:50 Mazda's not a company afraid of striking out on a limb every now and then. And it rammed home its rotary-engined know-how with a brace of sports cars featuring its Wankel motor at the London show. Shame there were no real world debuts, though...What's new on Mazda's London motor show stand?