Dragonfire Racing Aero/ultralite Billet Shifter Kit on 2040-parts.com

2014 Corvette Stingray rated at 455 hp

The 2014 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray's 6.2-liter LT1 V8 engine has been rated at 455 hp at 6,000 rpm and 460 lb-ft of torque at 4,000 rpm -- the highest standard-power rating ever for the Corvette. An available performance-exhaust system boosts the rating up to 460 hp and 465 lb-ft of torque. Chevrolet says the new LT1 with standard exhaust has 25 more horsepower than the current Corvette's base LS3 6.2-liter engine, which is rated at 430 hp, and 41 lb-ft more torque compared with the 2013 model's 424 lb-ft.

Skoda Ocatvia vRS gets a new face

Skoda Octavia vRS gets a facelift and a titivate to bring it in line with the rest of the range In keeping with the changes made to the rest of the Octavia range late last year, Skoda has now rolled out the new look for the vRS (and the Scout) to bring the family looks to the whole range. Up-front you get a redesigned grill with a vRS logo and the option of xenons with adaptive lighting. You also get a set of front fog lamps with optional cornering, and some daylight running LEDs.

Russians show great interest in Corvette legend Zora Arkus-Duntov

It wasn't until recently that Russians understood that Chevrolet Corvette chief engineer Zora Arkus-Duntov, the patron saint of the America's sports car, was a Russian. Now, there seems to be intense media interest in this fact in a country that is waking up to all things automotive related. Arkus-Duntov's life and work is on display at the Alexander Solzhenitsyn Center for Russian Emigres in Moscow.