Suzuki 1.3l G13 Aluminum Connecting Rod Set W/ Arp2000 Rod Bolts on 2040-parts.com

Lexus IS Design contest winner to be built for SEMA 2013

Somewhere in the shortlist of 25 semi-finalists from the Lexus IS Design contest lurks the design that will be built by tuner VIP Auto Salon and take pride of place on Lexus' stand at SEMA later this year. Hosted by online art community deviantART, the competition asked entrants to customize a Lexus IS saloon using any method they liked. The winner will also be given a one-year lease of the IS and other prizes.

BMW to build front-drive sedan

BMW boss Norbert Reithofer has surefire plans for a new front-wheel-drive entry-level sedan, falling in just below the existing 3-series sedan. The new four-door, known internally at BMW's Munich-based headquarters under the working title NES (New Entry-level Sedan), forms part of a new range of front-wheel-drive models set to join the BMW lineup in the near future. “The NES is integral to our growth plans,” a BMW insider source revealed.

One Lap of the Web: Porsche at Le Mans, F-150 reclaims the flag and Foose talks classic rods

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. -- We covered the 24 Hours of Le Mans top to bottom including every make and class, but if your preferred marque is Porsche you might enjoy the Porsche Purist's look at how cars from Stuttgart fared during the endurance classic, complete with photos, stats and results.