2007 Mazda 3 Hatchback E-brake Handle on 2040-parts.com

Ford's forgotten T-Drive program

Digital boss Andy Stoy recently passed along this little piece of nearly forgotten Ford history from the early 1990s. We know that our girl Murilee Martin dug this up way back in 2010, but the wonder of the Ford T-Drive system is worth revisiting. According to Drivingenthusiast.com, “T-drive is a system consisting of a transversally located inline engine, a transmission and associated packaging.” The transmission is mounted to the side of the engine, or the back, depending on how you look at things.

SEAT Leon Cupra and Cupra 280 revealed

SEAT Leon Cupra and Cupra 280 revealed SEAT has come out fighting in the hot hatch stakes, and has revealed two versions of the Leon Cupra with up to 276bhp. Based on similar underpinnings to VW’s Golf GTI, the Leon goes much further than the GTI by offering a choice of two Cupra versions, 261bhp in the manual three-door SC or a mighty 276bhp in the Cupra 280. The 261bhp Cupra manages to get to 62mph in 5.9 seconds with the Cupra 280 cutting that to 5.7 seconds when fitted with DSG ‘box, with economy for the manual Cupras at 44.1mpg, and 42.2 mpg if you opt for the DSG ‘box.

Britain's low-carbon future

By Guy Bird Motoring Issues 25 March 2008 12:36 Higher purchase taxes for high emitters, ‘traffic-light style’ tax discs to indicate a vehicle’s environmental friendliness and mandatory dashboard-based driving efficiency technology are just three recommendations from a new report that looks set to inform Government policy for the next decade. Published on the same day as the Budget, the snappily titled King Review Of Low Carbon Cars Part Two (Recommendations For Action) was lost amid all the hoopla of new tax bands. But now we've had time to scrutinise it, we can assess the proposals that could affect your next car choice, from upfront purchase price to tax and running costs.