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

Vauxhall launches speed limit detectors on Insignia (2008)

By Tim Pollard First Official Pictures 19 June 2008 07:53 Vauxhall's new Insignia will be the first of a wave of cars to have a forward-facing camera that can read road signs. The optional kit will detect speed limit and no overtaking signs – and flash up a reminder to the driver on the dashboard.GM calls the tech, which will be launched in early 2009, Traffic Sign Recognition and it uses a small, wide-angled camera system supplied by Hella. It sits at the top of the windscreen near the rain sensors and rear-view mirror, scanning the road ahead taking 30 photos per second.It's 1984 all over again...With a range of 100 metres, the camera focuses on circular patterns and then interprets the numbers inside by contour comparison; if a match is found on the software's database, that road sign will be flashed up in the driver's binnacle.The front-facing camera is also used as a lane departure warning system, alerting the driver if they unintentionally swerve out of their lane on a motorway.Cars with cameras: a growing trendMore and more manufacturers are fitting cameras to their cars nowadays and you can expect a flood of systems like the Insignia's to be launched in 2009, including the new BMW 5-series.CAR tried out these new systems on Bosch prototypes in 2007.

Jaguar XJ & XF get 4WD

Jaguar has announced that four wheel drive versions of the Jaguar XJ and Jaguar XF will be available – but not in the UK. Jaguar has long bemoaned the lack of a 4WD platform for their cars, and even blamed such a lack of flexibility for the delay in launching the XF Sportbrake. We’ve been expecting Jaguar to reveal a 4WD version of the XJ for a while (especially as the new Range Rover utilises the same platform) but we didn’t expect a 4WD XF until the next generation XF launches in a couple of years.

Mini unveils Clubman concept at Geneva Motor Show with more doors

This week Mini has brought the Clubman concept to the Geneva Motor Show, and even though it's officially a concept car for the purposes of its appearance at the 2014 edition of the Salon International de l'Auto, the car itself is basically production ready behind the scenes. The Clubman has grown unexpectedly for the 2015 model year redesign, to the point where it might be confused with the five-door Hardtop, but that's a different model which we'll see later in the year. Even though the Clubman now boasts six doors, it will be positioned somewhat differently from its five-door Hardtop sibling, even though in practice the two will be offering essentially the same package.