3m Stikit Gold Disc Roll 6 Inch 180,500 Grit 2 Rolls. New on 2040-parts.com

Vast Private Collection To Go Under The Hammer

AN AUCTION of more than 1,000 lots all from the same collection is due to go under the hammer later this month. The collection belongs to Michael Banfield, who has amassed a huge collection covering the history of the car in the UK. Among the earliest cars for sale are a 1904 Mors Roi de Belges, which is in perfect working order, ready to be used and is estimated to make £500,000.

(Another) Audi A3 e-tron hybrid at Geneva 2013

The Audi A3 e-tron – a hybrid A3 EV based on the A3 Sportback – will debut at the 2013 Geneva Motor Show as a concept. This Audi A3 e-tron isn’t a pointless electric supercar – like the R8 e-tron – or another rollout of the A3 e-tron BEV, but a hybrid A3 with a proper ICE engine coupled to an electric motor, just like the A3 e-tron concept we saw in Shanghai in 2011 That still means a lot of complicated and heavy technology to game the silly official economy tests and come up with ‘official’ economy figures of 158mpg and 35g/km, but the A3 e-tron would – if it were made – offer big tax breaks for company car drivers. The A3 e-tron gets a 1.4 litre direct injection petrol engine good for 148bhp working with an electric motor good for an extra 100bhp.

2012 Focus ECOnetic & Fiesta ECOnetic now even more frugal

2012 Ford Focus ECOnetic - now even more frugal If a little fairy from the future had come back in time, even as recently as the 1990s, and told you that a family sized Ford would have 100bhp and do more than 80mpg by 2012, you’d have laughed. But laugh no more – the 2012 Ford Focus ECOnetic average 83.1mpg and emits just 89g/km. Want something even more economical and even less emitting, where you can still have grown-ups in the back?