78984a 1 75-82 Sb V8 Thermostat Housing, Mercruiser on 2040-parts.com

New Skoda Octavia vRS costs from £22,990

New Skoda Octavia vRS (pictured) costs from £22,990 Skoda’s take on the VW Golf GTI – the Skoda Octavia vRS – was revealed last month ahead of its debut today at the Goodwood Festival of Speed, and now we know it will costs from £22,990. For your £22,990 you’ll get the Octavia vRS with the 2.0 litre TSI engine delivering 217bhp and 0-62mph of 6.8 seconds. Pay a bit more (£23,260) for the diesel (why would you want to do that?) and you’ll get 181bhp from the 2.0 litre TDI and get to 62mph in 8.1 seconds.

BMW Gran Lusso design explained in Pininfarina video

The two-door BMW Gran Lusso took center stage at the 2013 Villa d'Este Concourso d'Eleganza in Italy last weekend. The Pininfarina-designed, V12-equipped coupe could herald the return of the company's mighty 8-series Bimmers that rolled the streets in the 1990s. Pininfarina posted two videos of the BMW Gran Lusso on its YouTube channel on Wednesday.

Snake surprise for garage mechanics

MECHANICS attempting to jump-start a car were given a shock when they found a snake under the bonnet. Garage workers in Kelty in Fife called out animal charity the Scottish SPCA after they discovered the 2ft (0.6m) corn snake in the engine of the Fiat Punto they were working on. The reptile, which has been named Punto, is now being looked after at the Edinburgh and Lothians Animal Rescue and Rehoming Centre in Balerno.