Arias Pistons 12.5:1 Compression 82mm Bore Honda B-series on 2040-parts.com

London Taxi maker Manganese Bronze bought by China’s Geely

China automotive giant Geely has bought Manganese Bronze – makers of the iconic London Black Cab – in an £11.04 million deal. The iconic London Black Cab has been an accident waiting to happen for years, as under investment in making the Black Cab fit for the 21st century saw competition – like the Mercedes Vito Taxi and the Nissan NV200 Cab – start to offer serious competition to the taxi that identifies London. Despite an investment by China’s Geely – when Geely bought 20 per cent of Manganese Bronze, makers of the Black Cab – and the bulk of the Black Cab being produced in China and bolted together in the Midlands, the final nail in the coffin for Manganese Bronze was the recall of 400 TX4 cabs over a steering fault.

Citroen Cactus stars at the 2013 Frankfurt Motor Show

Citroen's big news at the 2013 Frankfurt Motor Show was the launch of the Cactus concept car. This spikily named show car is more than just a wacky concept - the Citroen Cactus marks the relaunch of the French brand's bread-and-butter cars. Struck by the success of the DS models, it's now hoping to achieve similar success with a rejuvenated range of C-line models.

Renault toasts triple anniversary

IT’S A BIRTHDAY bonanza for Renault this week, with three important anniversaries set to be celebrated at the Rétromobile Show in Paris. It’s 30 years since the debut of the Espace people-carrier, and although the model isn’t sold in the UK any more it still has a cult following across Europe. Each of the four versions makes up part of Renault’s installation.