2010 Mazda Rx-8 Oem Alternator N3r1 on 2040-parts.com

Bad-tempered driving increases over winter

We’re officially a nation of grumpy drivers – not helped by the bad weather and the end of Christmas festivities, a survey has revealed. Halfords Autocentres carried out a study about how winter affects motorists and found that experiences of impatient, aggressive and inconsiderate driving increase at this time of year. On Bing: see pictures of road rage British drivers ‘lack common courtesy’ Rory Carlin from Halfords Autocentres: “It seems that the festivities take their toll on the nation’s road manners and tempers flare leading to less kindness and unselfish behaviour from some motorists.” 23% of respondents felt that unfriendly and bad tempered behaviour was a major issue during the winter months, while a fifth said there was a rise in aggressive and impatient driving.

Lotus to invest £500 million to build Esprit, Eterne, Elite & Elan. 1900 new jobs

The new Lotus Esprit Dany Bahar – Lotus boss – revealed plans at last year’s Paris Motor Show to turn Lotus in to an East Anglian Aston Martin. Those plans included one car we knew about – the new Lotus Esprit – and a number we didn’t – the Lotus Eterne, Lotus Elite, Lotus Elan and a new Lotus Elite. But the plans seemed to be nothing more than a wish list, and although it was intimated that Lotus owners Proton were going to provide a war chest of £770 million to fund the development, that later appeared to be an intent to provide Lotus with funds to develop a new range of cars, rather than an actual commitment.

Land Rover Freelander 2 Review & Road Test: Freelander 2 SD4 HSE (2011) Part 2

Freelander 2 SD4 Review Part 2 Ever since the V6 petrol engine quietly disappeared from the Freelander 2 some time ago – without fanfare or farewell – there’s been a bit of a gap in the Freelander range. Hobson’s choice on the engine front isn’t the end of the world, but a bit more oomph wouldn’t go amiss. Land Rover has taken the opportunity with the 2011 refresh of the Freelander 2 to give us what we asked for – the Freelander 2 SD4 – at the same time as getting the PSA 2.2 litre diesel to comply with Euro 5.