Wiseco Ring Set - 2677cdm on 2040-parts.com

Brazilian students develop soapbox racers for Volkswagen

Brazilian design students have competed for year-long internships at Volkswagen's Brazilian design studio by designing – and racing – soapbox cars. Established 15 years ago by Volkswagen South America design director Luiz Veiga, the Volkswagen Design Talent Contest refreshed its format for 2013 by challenging students to develop a prototype for a gravity-powered soapbox racer instead of asking for sketch and render-based proposals. According to Veiga, Volkswagen was looking for someone "capable of working away from the desk and able to create design solutions, assess and build them".

How well is Ferrari really doing? Results analysed

Ferrari seems to be holding up well in the global recession, according to figures announced this week. Its market share is up, consolidated revenues fell just 7% in 2009 and overall operating profit stood at a juicy €245m. Not a bad performance in the biggest economic downturn for generations.Ferrari operates in the upper echelons of the premium sports car market: serious stuff with at least 450bhp and a minimum €140,000 price tag.

Car Design Awards China 2013 winners revealed

Six months of work by students in China prefaced the announcement of the winners of this year's Car Design Awards China, held at a glittering ceremony in Shanghai just prior to the opening of the Shanghai auto show. The judges were highly complimentary about the quality of entries and the rapid progress in design terms being seen in student work in China. Judges comments "Mature development and beautiful presentation, a most professional submission," was the comment about one of the leading entries.